Remember
by velvetsins
Summary: "Who are you?" he heard her ask after he found her in the arms of another. So his most terrible fear became a reality: she lost all of her memories of him and their three year marriage. Now Byakuya has only two options: wait for her to remember or make her fall in love with him all over again. Letting her go was never an option. [ByaRuki AU, OOC, rated M]
1. Happily ever after?

**So I promised myself I wouldn't update another fic before I finished the ones I have going on, but guess what? The promises we made ourselves are a lot more difficult to fulfill, right? xD**

 **That said… I'm still writing my final paper and reading a lot, but I was very stressed out these days and I simply needed to write something different. And since I have done well with the exam that scared the hell out of me, I was like…why not?**

 **This idea came to me after I was scrolling through some Sess/Rin fanfics and watching some kdramas. This piece of fiction is influenced by Tuille's "Forget me Not" and 2016 best kdrama "Remember". But only the idea of one's losing the memories, though and the heavy angst content xD The rest is all on me. The fanfiction by Tuille deserves reading though, I plan on reviewing it next holidays or as soon as I have enough time.**

 **And… If you will why not Bleach Movie** _ **Fade to Black?**_ **But instead of everyone losing the memories of Rukia, she is the only one who forgets the last years of her life and of course Byakuya. And Rukia losing her memories seems to be a cliche of mine. Go check Mesmerized and the The Duke's Lover, rs.**

 **Again, English is not my first language and no matter how much I may proof read this, there will be some mistakes. Hope you can forgive me :3**

 **Disclaimer: Kubo owns Bleach, I own this plot.**

 **Enjoy! xD**

* * *

 _Remember_

 **Chapter 1 – Happily ever after...?**

* * *

A long, happy sigh left her lips as soon as she laid there, raven hair spread on the pillow, violet eyes shining in contentment. By her side, a man also tried to catch his breath, his sweaty chest rose and fell heavily for a few minutes before he was once again the perfect image of self-control.

She was glad their lovemaking had the same effect on him it had on her. He was just so composed sometimes she would doubt he was really a human being.

It lead her to a completely different thought... A new, concerned sigh left her bruised lips. She furrowed her brows as she wondered how her husband was to take the news.

Husband... _My husband..._

At first, the word brought a bitter feeling to her lips whenever she addressed him by such title — or even thought about this peculiar reality. All of a sudden, she, Ukitake Rukia, became Kuchiki Rukia and Tokyo's most loved and admired woman. _Tokyo Princess._ The wife of the almighty Kuchiki Byakuya, the most influential businessperson of the year — for five consecutive years —, the _Ice King,_ Tokyo's most desired bachelor, the Iron Fist Businessman. The man every girl her age dreamed to call husband, except for... _her_ of course — but after three years of an unwanted marriage, a marriage none of them desired or longed for... now the word brought a welcomed euphoria. It made her happy. Such title marked him as hers, as much as she was his.

She smiled briefly at the remembrance. Now he was home. She belonged to him.

 _My husband..._

How would he, the _Silent King_ , take her news? Would he be as thrilled as her? After living with him for those years that was surely a reaction she did not expect. Disappointment? Happiness? Maybe.

"Speak," he said, his deep voice still husky. He touched a strand of raven hair and removed it from her face.

"I-I..." She sighed in defeat. It was of no use to lie to him. He knew her so well her lie would not go unnoticed. "I am happy. Tired but happy, that's all."

"Hn," he said, as if still not believing her words.

"I'm glad the new director accepted my project. I'm glad he didn't think our partnership is because I am your wife."

"Why would he?" he asked, his fingers still playing with her hair. It took her a while to notice this, but as he wrapped the strands on his fingers, she realized how much it had grown. Time to cut it again. Bob hair suited her better, or so she thought. "Rukia."

"Everyone thinks you favored me... because well..." She blushed as the words she once heard came back to her mind. She wet her lips nervously before voicing them, "Because I open my legs to you." That was obviously the clean version.

He froze. His hand fell on his sides and his gray eyes became much harder and colder.

"Who said this?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Rukia," he pressed, his lips set in a straight line.

"I'm not telling you!" Her eyes challenged him to force her to speak."It doesn't matter." With a new sigh, she moved his arm aside to place her head on his broad chest. "What really matters is that the director accepted my project and we won the educational prize."

Yes. That's it. What those envious people thought does not really matter anymore. She was happy. Thoroughly satisfied. She was about to finish her master's. Her job could never be better. With this new prize she could help more children and teenagers than she expected. She was happily married... She could certainly not complain. Life had been good for her. Unexpected, sure, but good.

"I am proud of you," he said after a while, making her blush and look at him with widened eyes. His face, however, remained imperturbable, as if he had just bid her goodnight and nothing more.

Those were surprising words. A very unlikely gesture. Her husband was a lot more prone to criticize than to compliment. To hear she was a source of pride for him, a man already so proud — probably the proudest man she had ever met —, was a task she did not thought possible to accomplish.

See? There was nothing in her life she could complain about.

With a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips, she lowered her face and placed a kiss on his chest.

She just missed one little, tiny, small thing...

Shaking her head, she decided it was better to sleep. It was late and she had a lot to do in the next day. Oversleeping was not one of them.

"That's not what you wanted to say."

Her eyes shot open at his words. How could he be so good at reading her? Did he read all her thoughts? She certainly did not sign for this in her marriage contract.

Giving up, she removed herself from his arms and sat on the bed, bent onto him. Sheets wrapped around her torso, she covered her modesty from his prying eyes. At her usual gesture — even after three years she did not enjoy getting naked in front of him. Not when they were to speak of a serious matter at least _. Especially in such moments._ He would never let her speak, instead, he would not take his hands off of her and words or any coherent thought would fly from her mind. He was frustrating! —, he smirked, an eyebrow lifted lightly.

"Don't look at me like this!" She snapped his hand away. "It seems like I have grown a beard."

"You would look ravishing with a beard."

"I'm serious!" She fought the urge to smile. His hand was then on her face as he pulled her to a kiss. It was so feather-like it felt like a dream. "I love you," she whispered when he released her lips.

Instead of replying, he pulled her to another kiss, deeper and more vehement than the last. Passion irradiated from his very mouth. When they broke apart, he used his thumb to caress her lower lip tenderly. His eyes intensely focused on hers.

He never said those three words. Never. Not even once. At first, it hurt her. Then she realized it was just him. Her husband was not a man of many words. He was silent. Composed. But no less passionate. His love was shown through gestures.

With him, actions spoke louder. With him, words were not necessary at all.

"I have stopped taking the precautions..." Before she could notice, the words escaped her.

His hand stopped the caress at once, but remained on her lower lip.

"Are you...?" If he ever widened his gray eyes, it went unnoticed. He lowered his gaze to her flat belly covered by the white sheets.

She chuckled.

"No..." It would have been fun to watch the ever stoic Kuchiki Byakuya widening his eyes for something else than losing a highly stupid amount of money. "I am not expecting... Yet."

A sigh none of them noticed he was holding, left him.

"Rukia..." He also sat on the bed. With his movement, she almost fell on him. They were much closer now. He was tense when he spoke again, "we have talked about it."

"I spoke to Doctor Unohana. She guaranteed I can make it just fine."

His eyes moved from her expectant face to the mobile phone on the nightstand. Thirty missed calls from some of his partners appeared on the surface. His grandfather was the first to call him and the first to notice he had his reasons to leave the party earlier with his wife.

"I am not lying!"

He was silent for a moment, his eyes still on her face, on her violet orbs. He narrowed his own as he realized she was not going to give up on the idea.

She caught him off guard. Apart from the fact she was on the IUD, they did not take any other precautions against pregnancy. They did not use condoms and she was not on the pill — it was too much dangerous for someone with her condition. Rukia had atrial fibrillation and while it was under control, certain aspects of her life had to be changed. _Radically._ After her father and his father before him died because of it, it could not be any different. While pregnancy, if taken all the measurements and precautions, could be totally normal, he was still afraid something could happen to her.

Her rushed routine would have to change drastically. He did not think she was ready for that. He was not. Parenthood scared him, even if it was not something he was proud to say, to have a child scared him.

All in all, they still had time.

"Byakuya..."

"I know you are not lying."

She never did. It did not matter their conversation skills were horrible at the beginning, which lead to all sort of misunderstandings between them, she never lied to him. Not even once. Now they worked it just fine.

"Then... Are you not excited to be a dad?"

"We would have to change our routines drastically."

"That's not my question."

There was silence for a moment. She knew he was taking his time to think of his next words carefully.

"Rukia."

"I know it's different for me." She sighed. "I know you are afraid. I am afraid too. But I want it. I want to give you a child."

"I do not need a child."

She knew of his aversion for children. It was funny how he pampered Yachiru so she would just shut the fuck up and leave him alone. However, his words conveyed another meaning.

 _I only need you._

It made her heart skip a bit. She smiled at him.

Yet, she knew he needed. Their marital agreement was clear: before he was 35, he was to have an heir or else he was to step down from his position as the CEO of the Kuchiki Enterprises. She knew how he prided himself of such position.

He was 32 now, 33 in less than two weeks. They had no more than two years left... having been on the contraceptives for almost seven years, perhaps it would take a while before she got successfully pregnant.

She yawned, finally realizing how tired she was. His hand on her cheeks caressed her lightly, before he kissed her again.

"Let's sleep."

"Wait! Now?"

There was no answer from his part. He turned off the lampshade and lay down on the bed, bringing her to his arms, the blanket placed over both of them. He kissed her forehead and closed his eyes.

"Sleep," he commanded.

"I am not sleepy yet!"

"Rukia..." His voice had a hint of a warning. "Stop talking."

At the strong command — it left no room for disobedience —, she closed her eyes tiredly. Soon, she was fast asleep in his arms. A contended smile on her lips. She knew it would take a while for him to accept her proposal, but eventually he would say yes to her.

He always did.

As he felt her breath became even, he opened his eyes and stared at nothing in the dark. Hands still on her strands, he thought that his young wife would drive him crazy one of these days.

* * *

The last of his meetings for the day had just ended when he finally had some chance to scroll through the callings and messages he had received in the last few hours.

Uncountable messages from his grandfather calling him out for his lateness, _he missed dinner again_ , and just one from Rukia.

It looked like Ginrei-sama was his wife and not Rukia herself.

In fact, considering how their relationship had started, it would be completely out of character if she all of sudden became the hysterical wife who called him at every two hours to know of his whereabouts. But she would not even leave more than one message, even if what she had to say was urgent.

All because of him.

Byakuya deeply regretted what he did.

At the very beginning of his marriage — when he hated the fact he had to be eternally tied to her in order to keep his position — he told her he would clearly not tolerate any whims from her part. Their individuality was to be respected. There was no such a thing as to stick the nose in business that was not of her concern. She was to expect he would not do it either.

It was not care. The self-assured Kuchiki Byakuya did not need anyone to look out for him. He was enough. She was... _disposable_.

 _Our marriage is fake. Do not try to make it real._

He recalled she had asked about their intimate life. If it was not of each other concern either. He shrugged. If it was for him, he did not care if she had a lover or not. Fidelity was not in the agreement they both signed for. However, he was a public figure and anything related to his personal life could affect the company real badly.

That could surely not happen.

So they faked it. And one day their lie became a reality.

So much changed since then. He had come to terms with being married to her, he learned to care for her; he admitted those feelings to himself even.

He looked at the hour and closed his eyes for a brief moment before he read the messages both of them left. While his grandfather lectured on him for his lateness — he should be really crazy for letting such an adorable wife alone at home and stay focused on work — Rukia sent him a _selfie_ of her and his grandfather dining together, a huge smile on her face and a small, barely noticeable one on his old, wrinkled features.

Yes. He was crazy for having missed dinner. That could not have been any different, however. Not if he wanted to leave for that weekend on the countryside with Rukia at least. And he intended to.

It seems like years since they had last had a few days only for themselves. Rukia thought that after how much they both worked for that educational prize — she indeed barely slept while writing the project — it was only right they took a few days only for them.

Perhaps it could help them think carefully, and she expected, they spent their hours with something else than thinking, about having children.

A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips when he recalled how he asked her in a deeper and seductive voice if she meant a weekend of thoughtless, lazy sex. Her reaction was pretty much hilarious. Firstly, she blushed, then she became silent and lastly furious. She was serious. He was not to mock her.

In spite of the fact the idea of having a whole weekend only for sex appealed to him very much, he understood her point. She needed to relax. Perhaps after a few days meditating, she would come to realize she was wrong. Children were not what they really needed.

Yes. The weekend in the countryside was surely a good idea.

Nevertheless, for that to happen, he was going to have to work late for the next few days. At least until Thursday.

Scrolling his S6 Edge+, he checked the hour. Almost midnight. She was probably sleeping already, but he decided to give it a try. Loosening his tie, he dialed her number.

Her cheerful voice bombarded him before he could even say anything.

"Have you eaten?"

"I thought you were sleeping."

"She is waiting for you."

"Ginrei-sama..." he greeted, slightly annoyed he could not talk to his wife privately. He did not have anything secretive or improper to say, but he still would like to talk to her alone.

"You are late, Byakuya." His tone was accusatory, as if his grandson missed dinner and time with his wife because he wanted to. Because he had other choice and instead chose to be inside his office being tortured meeting after meeting.

"I was preparing the documents for sending the equipment for the school." He did not know if he was explaining himself to her or apologizing, or which was more ridiculous, because none made sense or suited his character.

"It's okay," she said softly. "After we are back from the weekend we are to hold both yours and the company's anniversary and it will take us a lot of time." Her last words came out with a yawn.

"Rukia," he called. As he heard a low yes, he continued, "go to sleep. I am not going to arrive any time soon."

"Yes, I will. Eat something before you come home."

He gave her no reply before he went to end the call. His grandfather, however, caught his attention. It did not surprise him she left her mobile phone with him, what was indeed a shock was that he wanted to continue to lecture him on things he had no control over. If someone told him a few years ago Ginrei-sama would take the side of his granddaughter-in-law to such extent he would have laughed.

"See? Your young wife is too much comprehensive for you."

"Hn," he replied, typing away the e-mails he was sending his secretary. Nanao would schedule those meetings first thing in the morning. There was just so many of them, he wondered when he would have the next lunch alone, by himself, without having to socialize or decide something important for the company.

The Kuchiki Enterprise was among the ten best Asian companies in the technology and software industry. When he was about to meet Rukia and discover she was to be his wife, his grandfather decided it was safe for them to go further in the branch of educational software and games. After their marriage and how Rukia brilliantly excelled in educational conferences, his family business rose to the top, evaluated as the best software-based company for the last two years. Her ability to make people believe in a better tomorrow and excellent education, coupled with good technology for everyone, was more than responsible for such a feat. She was responsible for sealing deals with enterprises that proved to be really useful. In short, Byakuya did not really believe his skills would ever be enough to lead him to the top and to win the prizes he had during their four year relationship.

It was selfish of him to admit it, but he only stopped seeing her as the pathetic wife his grandfather chose when he realized she was more than her childish looks conveyed. It was somehow good to know they matched in and out of bed.

"I mean it, Byakuya." His voice was almost harsh now. He frowned and returned his attention back to the old man. "You should treat her better. She is unique."

He agreed to disagree with his grandfather. She was unique, true, but he did treat her well enough. There was not a single moment he could recall of her complaining about his demeanor towards her.

Not that she would either.

This thought made his fingers stop. Was he a bad husband?

"You should take her out more often. And by out I mean to the cinema, not the highest ball of another huge enterprise. She loves dancing. Have you ever danced with her again apart from your wedding or any other stupid event of high society?"

He fell silent. The answer was no, no and no. No to all those options. A tired sigh left his lips as he realized he was not a bad husband. He was a terrible husband.

"I want grand grandchildren, Byakuya."

At the mention of children, he sat still on his chair.

"Ojii-sama," he started but was interrupted by Ginrei's imperial voice.

"But she is still very young. Use your time to make her happy. She is not Tokyo's beloved princess. She is your wife and she is just so very young. Do not waste her years working so much. Go back to her arms."

And just then all of sudden, before he could give any response the line went dead.

For a few minutes he looked at his laptop completely still. Then he blinked twice and realized he was very tired. He could not recall the last time he got the proper eight hours sleep. It seemed like centuries since he was not focused in work and did something else of his life than think about meetings, conferences, agreements, more meetings and annoying parties of the high society.

His grandfather's outburst although out of time was not so unexpected. He knew where it came from. Ginrei-sama was as much as workaholic as him, he barely had time for his wife and his son. Before he could enjoy his time with her, she left this world delivering his second child, which also died a few hours after he was born.

However, as much as Byakuya worked a lot, he never neglected Rukia. Perhaps at the beginning, but that was a mutual agreement.

 _Young wife..._

That he would have to agree.

Rukia was 26 now. A gap of six years kept them apart. She was 22 when they met — a fateful day at the school she worked at and they both learned they were to get married. He was already 28 at that time and the thought of getting married to her was ridiculous. She was no more than a teenager to him. How was he expected to marry an adolescent?

It is not that she was too young. He was the one who was old. 32 years and he seemed like he was at least 70. He never realized she was perhaps interested in going to the cinema. To dance all night with him or just have a simple date. To be by his side away from everything and everyone.

He was so much beyond that. The fact she never complained — of course she would not — never made him realize how thoughtless he was.

Closing his laptop, he decided that whatever he still had to do, was not so urgent that could not wait for tomorrow.

* * *

It was past three in the afternoon when she placed her hands over her face. An annoying headache had been plaguing her that week, but it worsened that night after she woke up three times. At first, she had been worried because it was past midnight and he was still not home. Then, when she was almost sleeping, she felt the bed moving under his weight, even if he commanded her to go back to sleep so it would ease her headache, it took her a while to fall into unconsciousness again. And lastly, when it was almost five, with his mobile phone ranging annoyingly loud by their side.

Shaking such thoughts away, she concentrated on the class she was preparing and tried to finish the correction of the exams she applied last week. With her students on verge of applying for the University she thought it was best if she gave them the opportunity to train a bit more. While she disagreed with the entrance exams, if she could not change the system yet, she would do what she could to help her students.

Her fingers were fast on the keyboard, typing away the general comments to make about the exams when her vision suddenly went blurry. She blinked several times, thinking that it was somehow related to the fact she could not eat the entire day. At least, not properly. With her stomach upset, there was not much she could eat without making it worse.

"Oi, midget! Are you fine?"

"Hm… Yes, Ichigo," she answered meekly, which caused him to frown. It did not matter she was a married lady now, whenever he alluded to her height, she would always smack him senseless or scream at him for being so stupid. She would never answer in such a defeated tone.

"Water?" he offered, still shocked that she did not curse him out loud. He placed his hand on her shoulder and surprisingly she did not snap it away, which could only mean she was not that fine. Far from it, if her pale face and dry lips were of any indication.

Rukia nodded.

Kneeling by her side, placed the plastic cup in her hand and waited, his face contorted into a worried grimace.

"Rukia?"

"I am fine, idiot," she grunted, pressing her lids together. The idea of opening her eyes too much painful. She was afraid she would pass out if she did, but she forced herself to. Fluttering them open slowly, she came to the sudden realization that everything was already dark in front of her and the scandalously amount of co-workers around her, asking if she was fine when she obviously was not did not help her headache even the tiniest bit.

Even the faintest whisper was enough to make her want to cry in desperation. Blinking several times, she sighed in relief when her sight came back to her. She rose from her seat and went to her locker, desperate to get her medicines and swallow the pills to relieve the pain. Hands shaking, she retrieved the mobile phone from her pockets and decided if she should send her husband a message or not. She knew she would not have any condition to drive back home that day.

He was probably attending to an urgent meeting or a conference right now and her disturbance would be seen as totally uncalled for. However, he was the one to say she was to interrupt at any time if she was not feeling well… Yet, he was also the one to say she was never to behave as the stupid needy wife.

Fingers still trembling over the keys, she battled with herself unsure of what to do. Luckily, her headache seemed to subside after she drank the water Ichigo offered her. She smiled weakly and decided against bothering him.

She could wait.

Get a taxi. Force her stupid friend to drive her home.

Anything was better than interrupting him.

With a sigh, she blocked the screen of her S6 Edge+ — which had a photo of them, in one rare moment she convinced him, or surprised him, if she were to be honest with herself, into taking a selfie — and walked back to the table, curious faces still glued on her as she made her way to them. Suddenly, she lost her balance and fell on the floor, a new strong wave of headache reached her, forcing her to cradle her head between her fingers and hiss in pain.

By her side, Ichigo kneeled and removed her hands from her head, forcing her to meet his eyes. However, she did not have enough time to register him calling out her name worriedly, nor to see his hazel orbs narrowing with concern.

Next thing she knew, everything went black for real.

* * *

He moved uncomfortably in his chair at the head of the table. He checked his wrist-watch to check the hour and realized he was in that meeting with the accounting head and the marketing staff for what seemed a whole day, even if had only passed 30 minutes. He looked at the graphics in the data show and blinked a few times, cursing his inability to stay focused.

It was totally unlike him, but he noticed he was not uneasy just now. It had been this way since that morning, when he bid Rukia a good day and waited for her to leave the garage with her white new beetle — he was still trying to convince her to change her old car into a smaller version of the SUV they had to travelling, it was safer and more comfortable, but she was against spending so much money into something completely unnecessary —, to follow after her with his Chrysler 300C. They quickly parted ways and before he could even notice, he was inside his office, getting ready for a full day of annoying meetings.

He thanked the heavens it was already Thursday and the next day he would leave earlier for his weekend with Rukia. Last time he checked his schedule there was only one lunch he expected to attend with his lawyer and while he was expected to return on Sunday, he was really not inclined to return exactly on that day. If possible, Monday… after lunch. Rukia did not have classes that day, so it was not really a problem if they returned later than the planned. He was sure she would enjoy it spending one more day at their house in Hida-Takayama. She always loved the feeling of the mountains and the little traditional shops.

Thinking about Rukia… He closed his eyes at the remembrance of her and her strong headaches. If she was not better by the time he arrived home, there would be no discussion: he would drive her to the hospital.

Byakuya still recalled how she moved uncomfortably when he joined her last night and brought her to his arms. She grunted, asking if he had eaten properly — her obsession with his eating habits amused him to no end, even if he knew she was right. He spent so much time in meetings or locked inside his office he barely had any time to eat — and closed her eyes forcefully when she thought he was about to turn on the lamplight. When he asked if she was quite alright, she even tried to lie, but knew better than that and admitted she was having a strong headache and her heart was racing more than normally that day.

Kissing her temple, he embraced her and commanded her to sleep, even if he spent the whole night wide awake, afraid her condition would get worse while he was asleep. He dozed off a few minutes, but whenever he woke up, he would scold himself for being so weak.

Was she better now?

He shook such thoughts away. If she were not she would have called already. Right?

 _Don't ever call while I am in a meeting. I do not need a hysterical, needy wife._

Well… As far as he was aware, they were past this in their relationship, but with Rukia one could never know. He touched his tie, loosening it slightly. He was suddenly feeling suffocated. His gray eyes shifted back to his mobile phone, but there was nothing… No message, no missed calls. _Nothing._

He was overreacting.

All at once, the device in his hands vibrated and the loud sound echoed in the meeting room — he always left it on the silent mode **,** but afraid he would not notice if she called, he decided to turn on the sound — startling a couple of people. Byakuya looked down and noticed her name on the screen.

It was definitely important. If it was not, she would never call. Under absolutely no circumstance. He felt his heart racing at the idea of her being badly sick.

He lifted two fingers, motioning they could go on with the meeting, as he rose from his chair and left the room. Clearing his throat, he called her name.

"Rukia."

"Yo, Byakuya." A man spoke nervously in the other line. He narrowed his eyes slightly at the way he was greeted, but quickly dismissed it. The P.E teacher was known by his lack of education for someone older or higher than him. What stood out the most was his voice. It was not the usual relaxed tone. It was different.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," he acknowledged. "Why are you with Rukia's phone?"

"Well…" he started, but stopped all of sudden. "I am in the hospital with her."

By the time he noticed it was not Rukia on the phone he was already gesturing for Nanao to end the meeting and entering the elevator, her voice far away as she asked what happened. However, when the word _Hospital_ reached his ears, he was walking to his car in the entrance of the building. The valet opened the door for him and eyed him surprisingly as he did not voice his thanks — a habit he acquired after he married Rukia — and left.

"What happened?"

"It's not confirmed just yet, but I suspected it was a stroke."

His heart seemed to stop for a moment, but then it was galloping inside his chest. He pressed his feet on the accelerator and passed the red lights, not really caring about the traffic ticket that would be waiting for him soon or the amount of angry horns he had to listen from those who had to stop suddenly in order not to crash onto him on the crossroad.

"Which hospital?"

* * *

Her hand was pale and skinny placed between his. He held hers carefully, afraid the warmth would leave her and the death would take her away from him.

Three weeks since the fateful calling from Kurosaki Ichigo. Three weeks since he last saw her expressive violet orbs open. His birthday had come and passed and if not for his secretary, he would not even remember he was turning 33. They were to celebrate it with the anniversary of the company, but he had no will to. Yet, his grandfather forced him to attend to the ceremony, after all uncountable shareholders would make an appearance and would like to see their CEO. He was there, but at the same time he was not. The national press was aware of Rukia's condition and they would not stop asking him if he missed her badly or what he would not give to have her by his side again, in perfect conditions.

Nothing like a tragic love story to keep people's faith in feelings such as love. And the press knew how to manipulate it quite well. He had to give them that.

All of sudden, they graced the covers of magazines, newspapers and became the hot topic in the TV newscast. The whole country was shocked the Tokyo's most beloved child was ill. Tons of tragic stories graced the tabloids, those people even found out — he was pretty much curious to know how — they wanted to have a child. It did not take a genius to have people commenting that she had an abortion and he was desolated by that.

Even the Ice King would be devastated by such loss.

And no matter how much he despised their scrutiny, he could not deny it did an immense good to his Empire. The company stocks skyrocketed. His account staff would be joyous, he thought bitterly.

The annoying teacher, that friend of hers, was right. He was right. It was a stroke. The symptoms came suddenly and there was nothing they could really do to prevent it besides what they had already been doing. It was not bound to happen to her, but if it did, it would not be such a surprise after all.

Doctor Unohana, however, guaranteed, she would wake up anytime soon. The worst had passed. If he just could talk to her, perhaps she would have an extra reason to wake up earlier.

Byakuya tried. He really did. But words failed him. What should he say? That he missed her? That he cared for her? Gosh, he never really said how much she meant to him — he was not even sure if he realized the place she had in his heart before the whole thing — even if she said more than once she loved him.

Whenever she would voice her feelings, he would answer with a kiss, a touch or anything else that he thought would make her realize she was important, even thought he was not sure how to express it.

Even now, as he sat still thinking of what to say to her, he realized he could not find the proper words to say what he wanted to say. With a sigh, he let go of her hand and walked to the bathroom in the VVIP room. Byakuya turned on the tap and looked ahead. The face staring back at him in the mirror seemed much older than his 33 years self. His beard had grown more than he would ever let it and he had lost weight — if Rukia was always worried about how much he ate during the day, what she would say once she woke up? _If she ever did_.

Doctor Unohana was optimistic but she did not lie. It could be that she spent the rest of her life in the limbo. Or even woke up but was not able to recover her movements fully, or stopped talking, or lost her cognitive ability or lost all her memories of him. He did not know what was worse: the possibility of her spending the rest of her days in a coma or losing all her memories of him and their three year marriage.

While the memories were something she could recover, it could be a traumatic process that could hurt her and mark her forever.

He looked at the water running down the tap and wet his hands, washing his face afterwards. The chilling liquid woke him up instantly. He dried his face and thought that he should bring his razor blade from home or buy one as soon as possible.

His looked horrible.

Not that his looks mattered that much when he spent his days in the hospital, monitoring her every movement. His grandfather assumed his vacant position as the CEO and took over all the annoying meetings he kind of missed. However, he knew he was in no condition to attend to them.

Both of them decided it was best if he continued to work, but relatively less than he normally would and only using his laptop in the hospital. He barely went home. Only to leave his clothes so the maid would wash them and get a new stack so he would not have to drive home every day. When he needed to call someone, he would go to the roof and enjoy the freezing winds of the beginning of February as he took a breath from his wife and her dead-looking face.

It was in one of those moments that he meditated on what he should do from now on with their relationship once she woke up — he realized how much of a loser he sounded when he gave room for bad thoughts. It had to somehow change. He had to change. He could not expect her to keep on saying that she loved him, hear nothing in return and keep on saying it happily nonetheless.

It did not mean he was ready to say he loved her… Speak the three words, but he could try to be more vocal from now on, right?

A sigh escaped his lips as he removed his hair from his face and tied it in a loose and low ponytail. He arranged the blanket over himself and shut his eyes, waiting for sleep to overcome him. The uncomfortable armchair where he had been sleeping for the past few weeks did not help the tiniest bit.

Before long, he was recalling the first time she said she loved him. They were dancing in a stupid ball of the high society. She was drunk. Her small hands clung onto him as he led her out of the ballroom to a more secluded area where he could chastise her for her carelessness.

They had been married for over a year and while they had been intimate already, they never talked too much or shared confidences. That night, however, she had been furious with him for some reason he could not begin to understand. When he pressed her, she let out. So frankly it stunned him at first. She was mad for he did not pay attention to her the whole night and instead chatted the whole time with an impossibly tall, dark beauty of mischievous golden eyes.

Byakuya knew he should be mad at her for behaving like the stupid needy wife he warned her not to be. But he was not. Instead, he smirked. Rukia was jealous.

He recalled having taking her in his arms when he thought she was about pass out — and indeed she did a few seconds after she confessed her feelings for him. _I know I sound stupid, but I love you._

At that time, he did not have the opportunity to reply. Besides having a drunken sleeping wife in his arms, he was too stunned to even form the words. But there were other occasions and yet he never said anything to her love confessions…

Not even once.

Yes. Their relationship should change. No… It _had_ to.

He would change.

 _For her._

* * *

"Isn't he a very thoughtful husband?" one of the nurses spoke to the other as together they left third door in the VVIP area, carrying the trolley with medicines and gauze and everything they needed to attend to a patient.

"Isn't she a lucky lady?" the other commented, sighing dreamily. "I wished to be in her toes. The Lady Kuchiki is the luckiest woman to ever walk the Earth."

Rukia closed the door and pressed her head against it, sliding slowly to the floor. Her heart thundered in her chest as she heard their steps coming closer to her room and then driving away. A sigh of relief left her lips as she realized no one would bother her anytime soon.

Everything in her head was confusing. She did not know where she was — it did not take a genius to realize she was in a hospital, but she was in the VVIP area! Not even if she got the dream job in one of the most expensive schools of the country she could afford to pay the bills of the most expensive hospital of the entire Tokyo.

And that was not all.

When she woke up, unaware of her surroundings, she found a laptop in an armchair, an expensive one on top of that, and a mobile phone she recognized as hers — it had her picture even if a handsome stranger seemed to hug her — nearby and the bracelet on her wrist identified her as Ms. Kuchiki.

Who was this Kuchiki?

Her surname was Ukitake. She was single. Who on Earth was this Kuchiki?

She had only known a Kuchiki in her entire life and he seemed to be a cunning, intractable man she gladly did not have the displeasure to meet. Her boyfriend did and he seemed to think he was a very spoiled playboy who knew nothing about being courteous to anyone. Not that Abarai Renji could be a model of politeness, but if there was someone below him in such matters, it could mean this Mr. Kuchiki sucked at relationships.

Yet… This vision she had of him did not match what she heard of the nurses leaving the other room or when they came to tend to her.

Yes, she was awake since the couple of nurses visited her and changed the IV and dosed the medicine. It was bound to leave her sleepy, she knew, but she fought it. She was about to ask them to stop that and talk to them, but she prevented herself as soon as one of them mentioned this Mr. Kuchiki and how worn out he seemed as he stood by the side of his young wife.

 _He seems hollow. Destroyed._

She recalled one of them saying it. And it only was enough to capture her attention. Who was this man that seemed to love his wife so deeply he left his company to tend to her? Somehow, she also felt this was a very lucky woman. And how bad he must be feeling to disregard his appearance and everything else because of the illness of his wife.

But then she realized that Mr. Kuchiki was a very cold man. A man everyone dread. A man as aggressive in his private life as in business. A man who conquered it all, regardless of other's wishes. A man so selfish it made her shiver. He was the reflex of the very wild capitalism in its worse.

Later, when the couple of babbling nurses left, she noticed the bracelet she was wearing…

Her eyes went wide as she sat numbly on the bed and removed the IV from her arm. Her head still ached, but she did not have much time to think about it. She fumbled through her belongings and looked for her Sony Xperia E — a new mobile phone Renji had pampered her with when they celebrated their two year relationship and the 15 long years they had known each other — but found instead a Samsung model she could not even recognize but that seemed very, very advanced for 2012.

Her head hurting like hell, she fumbled with the device but still managed to dial Renji's number. The only one she could ever think of calling. He had answered with a yawn and she realized it was not even past 06 a.m. He seemed stunned she asked in a crying voice to see him, desperate to understand something and place the pieces together, but promised to go nonetheless.

Now, still sitting against the door, her arm hurting and bloodied — it was not a smart idea to yank off the IV so harshly —, she looked at the mobile phone in her arms and waited for him to arrive. As the minutes went by and to prevent herself from falling asleep in the floor, she decided to look through it, so something could make sense in her confused head.

It did not.

There were several pictures of the man that hugged her in the background. There were pictures of them together. Pictures of him alone. _Videos…_ There was a silly video of him brushing his teeth. It was so childish it made her smile before she could even realize what she was doing. She was asking of him to smile more, so that people would find him handsomer and he replied he was already handsome enough. The image then zoomed on his face and then when he moved his hand to force her to stop recording, she moved it to the floor, but not before catching a glimpse of his nude chest and the trousers hanging loosely on his hips.

Next thing she knew, the image moved to the ceiling and she was squeaking and ordering him to let her go and put her on the floor. There was no answer from his part as the video went off.

As if burned by her own happiness with another man, Rukia pushed the mobile phone away from her and hugged her legs close to her chest. It seemed hours have passed and she started dozing off when someone knocked on the door.

She froze at first, but as she recognized the owner of such voice, she raised her head with a velocity that made it ache a lot. A smile on her lips, she moved from the door and let him open it.

"Renji!" she spoke, throwing herself at him, embracing him by the waist. He seemed stiff at first, but his arms wrapped around her frame carefully in the next second.

They stayed in each other's arms for what seemed like an eternity. She breathed in his scent and sighed in contentment. Yes, even if nothing else made sense, Renji still smelled the same. His arms around here were still protective and he was still as tall as she recalled.

If she had him, there was nothing else that could not be amended.

However, the dream-like embrace did not last an eternity as she would have liked. He seemed stiff and uncomfortable as he moved her slightly away to look into her eyes.

"Rukia," his voice was uncertain as he looked at her face in confusion. He scratched his read. "Why did you call me? What happened to your…"

Before he could finish his sentence, they were stopped by moderate steps entering the room. The man of her mobile phone was carrying a cup of what seemed coffee — _no, he hates coffee_ — in his left hand, the right busy with a mobile phone equal to her own.

"Rukia…" His deep voice sent shivers to her spine.

She closed her eyes briefly. It… _the voice_ seemed so familiar, but at the same time…

Renji tried to let go of her as he looked at the man entering the room, but she did not allow. Instead, her grip over him tightened. She looked at the man and wondered what he was doing in her room and why, unlike the man in her pictures, he seemed so much older, tired and sad. Handsome, yes, but so gloomy it made her feel bad for him.

Before she could realize, she walked to him and stopped a mere inches before she could invade his personal space. He was tall… smaller than Renji, true, but still tall. He looked at her, still holding the cup of tea — now she knew it was tea because she could smell the matcha — and the mobile phone. His eyes were intense, unwavering as they drank in her form. Curiosity took over her. She wanted to know why his gray eyes looked so… full of untold and well guarded emotions… Sadness, desperation, relief, happiness, _fear…_ She raised her left hand to touch his face, now completely forgotten of Renji's very existence, but stopped at the pull on her head.

Her breath caught on her throat as the words left her lips.

"Who… Who are you?"

* * *

 **A/N – And this has got to be my longest first chapter hehe Again, it's me!**

 **A few explanations: it's angst, sure, but there will be light moments. For those who may be afraid after reading Angst/Romance at the genres. It's a mature fiction, which does not mean there will be lemons every chapter. Sorry. But there will be some xD What I like the most about Remember is the age of the two of them. Contrary to my other fics, here they are older and I hope I can make their problems more real too. What I regret the most with The Duke's Lover is their young age, but in 1816, being 25 is about the same as being 40 nowadays…**

 **I was recently discussing with some friends (Thalita and Ludmilla, if I do not thank her, she will come here and scream at me all over again, bitch) that my favorite part was building relationships, not showing relationships already formed. And simply I start a fanfiction in which there is already a bound, a relationship, which is currently broken… They will have to rebuild it. It's going to be fun to write this fic. A challenge. This time there will be no giant plot or subplots or whatsoever, it's just about Byakuya and Rukia.**

 **A very distant relative of mine lost her memories once, due to a stroke. Same conditions as Rukia, but she was much older, 50 years. While it's rare for such a young person to have a stroke, it's possible. Well, this distant cousin of mine lost all of her memories of the last 20 years. She didn't remember her husband, her children and she never recovered her memories fully. It was shock for the family and mainly for her 8 year old son. I don't know what I'm gonna do with Rukia's memories, though.**

 **Chapter 2 is almost ready, so I'll try to update in 20 days at most. I have a big project to write, so… you know… Ah, thanks to Flávia and Roberta who helped me with this chapter. Love you, girls!**

 **I'm not really enthusiastic this will get as much reviews as The Duke's Lover, but I decided to give it a try nonetheless… Hope you like it. If you feel like, leave me a review. I'd love to know your thoughts.**

 **Take care,**

 **Velvetsins.**


	2. The not so charming prince

**Hi xD**

 **Here I am to update Remember. A little bit late, but well… it's me.**

 **Firstly, I'm surprised at the good response Remember got. I didn't expect 17 reviews at all (I know most of my old readers are not into Bleach anymore and honestly, I don't blame them, the end of the manga was a bullet in many fans' hearts), so I was happy to see Remember picked up your interest.**

 **So… my biggest thank to each one who took your time to review. You are really amazing, guys!** (Guest, Guest, PAMILA, trinity456, anon, lightdesired, HarunaOno, P.N.M 80, J, EclipseLove, Red, CindeeCaramel, Pretty Please, kiti4life, Guest, Guest and noblepride) **and those who added this story to the favorites and follows (hope this get your interest to leave me reviews in future chapters ^^**

 **Ludmilla, please leave me alone. Love you, bitch!**

 **This chapter** **isn't betaed** **, so you know…**

Shachō means President.

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, but I own this plot.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Remember_

 **Chapter 2 - The _not so_** **charming** **prince**

* * *

The grayish weather outside mimicked his thoughts at the very moment Doctor Unohana stated Rukia's condition. Byakuya gave her his back and stared at the window. His eyes closed for a second as he pulled the air into his lungs.

 _She lost the memories of the last four years._

Four years... She lost not only her memories of him and their marriage as well the ones related to her father who happened to be six feet under.

If she could nope cope with the idea of him in the same room, let alone accept the fact she forgot the last years of her life and the loss of her beloved father. They were so close it would be a shock for her.

He could see her reflection on the window. She was peacefully sleeping after asking Doctor Unohana one million questions. It took the physician a while to answer them without the risk of causing her even greater distress or worsening her condition.

She seemed shocked to realize it was not 2012, but instead 2016. College was over and she was actually about to finish her Master's in Education. At least she got it right when she asked if her thesis involved something related to educational games.

None of those questions was asked to him though. All of them were directed to either Unohana or her ex-boyfriend.

A man she seemed to think was still her boyfriend. A man who was already married and had one daughter — his wife was expecting their second child if he was not mistaken. He knew very little of their story together, but he was aware Renji was a special person who thought it was best to let her go and marry him, for he could never give her what Byakuya could. A man who broke her heart when he said she would be better off without him… If not for Abarai's decision, their marriage would never happen and they would never develop feelings for each other. After such painful break-up, she decided she did not want to keep in touch with Renji… It must have been a shock to receive a calling from her so many years later.

"Kuchiki-san?"

He looked at her over his shoulder, but voiced nothing. Even if he tried, he could not find the right words to reply to her earlier statement.

"I know it's difficult right now, but you will have to be patient with her."

His eyes narrowed slightly at the physician. He knew it. And although patience was not his forte, he was determined to work on it for her. It would be pathetic if not tragic to watch him, the man who was above everyone else, controlling his temper because of his wife.

"It will take a while for her to recover her memories..."

There was silence in the room for a moment. The only sound was of the equipment monitoring Rukia's condition. For the last few weeks, he slept and woke up with it ringing annoyingly in his ears. It almost became a lullaby.

"That is not all."

Unohana looked at him. A sad and somehow sympathetic smiled graced her lips.

"No. That's not all." There was a pause; she seemed to be looking for the best words. "She may never recover all of her memories. Actually, right now, I think that it would be best if you left her alone."

Her suggestion did not shock him at all. On the contrary, Byakuya kind of expected it. It did not mean he liked it though.

"Right now she needs to be surrounded by people she can remember." There was silence again. "By faces she knows."

 _Not by the ones who know her best._

A pregnant pause followed her words. None of them dared to say anything else. Byakuya had his arms hanging on his sides, the hands closed in fists, eyes closed.

"Will that be all?"

"Yes..." She smiled encouragingly. "Good night, Kuchiki-san."

In the quietness of the room, her steps approaching the door were perfectly heard. He could also hear when she placed her hand on the doorknob, as if deciding whether to leave or not.

"Speak…"

"Everything will turn out alright, Kuchiki-san…"

There was no answer from his part. He merely nodded, still back turned to her. He only shifted his attention to his wife when the door was completely shut. She seemed peaceful now, as if losing her memories — _memories of him_ — meant very little to her.

* * *

"See? I'm perfectly fine!" She raised her arms a little and then punched Ichigo's face. She barely could hide the grimace that threatened to take over her features. Her arm was still a bit sore after having yanked off the IV the last day.

He grunted and covered his nose as everyone around them laughed loudly.

"You're really in perfect condition, midget!"

"I told you!"

"When are you going to get discharged?"

"I don't know..." She bit her bottom lip nervously. She was still unaware of how she would pay for the ridiculously expensive bill of such hospital.

That was what she asked of Doctor Unohana in that very morning. The woman smiled kindly at her and told her not to worry, for it was already paid. Next thing she knew, she was gone and once again she was left asleep in the room.

Of course Rukia did not leave it alone. Last time she remembered she was a middle class girl, daughter of a teacher, principal of the high school she worked at in Tokyo's suburb. They did not live that badly, but not good enough to pay for the most expensive hospital of the whole country. Not even if she was born again she would have enough money to pay for that.

Was it related to that man in her mobile phone?

Who was him?

 _Who are you?_ she asked when he entered her room, a cup of green tea in his hands, but received no answer.

The kind Doctor entered the room afterwards and said she was to be in bed. As soon as she realized, she was back to it and the woman answered a few of her questions.

 _What year is this? How old I am? How much did I lose? When College has ended? Was I really accepted into one of the most important universities with my thesis for a Master's?_

Even if all of them were answered accordingly, she knew there was a lot missing. And she asked exactly that when the cute, innocent-looking, head nurse entered her room to check on her. Isane was her name if she was not mistaken…

The answer slipped through her instantly.

"You are married to Kuchiki-sama. You have been our patient for the last two years and half, Rukia-sama."

 _Married._

She was married. In a relationship with one of the richest man of the country; of the whole Asia.

Ukitake Rukia, a nobody, married to one of the most influential man of the continent.

 _How long?_

She wanted to ask, but discovered she was in short for words.

 _Married_.

How?

Just how could she find herself thinking in one day to propose to Renji — the fool would never do it himself — and in the next discover she was actually married to another man?

She knew it was not like that. She knew now years had passed, but it certainly seemed so.

Did she love him? Oh, did he love her? Was she a mother? How tragic it would be for the child if its mother could not recall such tender existence...

That was the second question she asked the head-nurse when she returned that afternoon — she thought about asking her husband, but his very presence scared the hell out of her. So when he was close for almost twenty minutes, she pretended to be asleep — but she seemed unsure.

"You were actually trying to get pregnant. Kuchiki-sama was not so sure about it, but you were really excited about the possibility, Rukia-sama."

 _Married..._ Married to a man who did not want children. A man so cold as everyone stated that the very thought of having children around probably made him sick.

"Kuchiki-san?" A sweet voice brought her from her thoughts.

She shook her head and smiled up at Orihime, tightening her hold on her hands.

"You should rest..." Her grayish eyes shone with concern. "We tired you out too much for one day."

"No..." She tried to force a smile, but her friend was right. She was very, very tired.

"We are leaving you then..." Tatsuki replied, pulling Ichigo by the arm. "Take care!"

"Take care, Kuchiki-san..."

Sado, on his side, merely waved his hand.

"Take care, midget!"

"Take care my ass, idiot!" If she was not in such pain, she certainly would have thrown a pillow on his face, but she contented herself with the punch he received from Tatsuki. She was the best!

The room fell silent when they all left. Rukia sighed and prepared to stare a few more hours at the white ceiling — or until a couple of nurses came back to guide her to unceasing tests related to her health — when she noticed she was not alone. An orange head looked her through the gap of the door.

"Inoue..."

"Kuchiki-san…"

"Why did you return?" she asked, but shook her head. She never left… And if she was there, Rukia should seize the opportunity. She bit her bottom lip, unsure on how to ask this, or if she really wanted to know for sure. "I can't remember about the last four years. They simply..." Her voice grew heavier as she whispered the next words, "disappeared."

There was silence from Orihime's part. She closed the door and approached her friend. Rukia only opened her eyes when she felt the bed shifting under the weight of the ginger-headed girl. Her hand then was delicately held between warmer hands.

"I know..." Her words were also whispered. "Don't worry, we are here for you."

Her kind smile only made the lump in Rukia's throat all the more obvious and difficult to hide.

"I don't know if you are dating that idiot. If you finished College... How were your grades. If you became an astronaut... I simply can't remember."

"Shhh..." Inoue said soothingly, caressing her hand. "I moved on. I am dating Ishida-kun now and we're both working as interns in the Hospital his father works at."

"The carrot's head lost you?" She seemed shocked for a moment, but then she realized it was not a surprise at all. Ichigo never saw in Orihime more than a friend. "He's really an idiot!"

Orihime's cheeks grew hot with the comment. Kurosaki-kun was in no way an idiot! She waved her hands desperately, trying to dissuade Rukia from such opinion.

"I'm glad you are fine."

"You were fine too," she commented in a low voice, "very happy indeed."

"Am I?" She arched her eyebrows incredulously.

"Of course!"

The lump returned to her throat. Gosh, she wanted to hit her head against the wall so badly... she wanted to do it again and again and again until she recalled everything. From the first kiss, the first touch to the last word exchanged before that horrible happening.

"I am married and I don't even remember getting married. The proposal... My dress... The wedding..."

Was it a happy moment of her life? Did she cry? Did he seem happy to see her there? How was the ceremony? Did she dance the whole night in his arms as she knew she would love to dance in her wedding day?

Why couldn't she remember it?

Marriage was supposed to be a very important cycle of one's life and yet she couldn't remember it. Not even one single moment.

"Shhh... It's okay..." Orihime brought her to the comfort of her arms. "You can cry if you want to. It's okay."

Rukia shook her head. She knew that if she started crying she would not stop anytime soon.

"I can't..." she whispered, biting her lips together.

And where on Earth was her husband? If he cared that much about her why did he disappear? Where was he when she needed him the most? She recalled the words of the nurses in her room… His face… Oh, God, his face. He seemed destroyed when she asked him who he was and yet… Yet he was nowhere to be seen.

"I know I should not... But I disagree with Doctor Unohana..."

"What?" Rukia frowned, wiping her nose furiously. "What do you mean?"

"She thinks you should take your time and forget about recovering your memories, but I disagree..."

They broke apart. Rukia used the back of her hand to dry the tears in the corners of her eyes as Orihime smiled at her.

"I think it may be worse if you continue in the dark. I'm bringing you a few things this afternoon, okay? For now just relax and don't worry... we don't blame you for forgetting the last years… nor does your husband."

"My husband..." she tried the words in her mouth, but they sounded so bitter she wanted to take them back and never pronounce them again.

"Orihime!" A loud voice echoed in the room. Both looked back to find three heads poking through the door.

"I'm coming! Goodbye, Kuchiki-san!"

When they all left, Rukia laid her head in the pillow and closed her eyes.

What a day!

* * *

 _Give her room… Time…_

"You are a fool, Byakuya."

" _Ojii-sama_ …" Surprised, he looked up at his grandfather and cursed himself for not noticing he had entered his office. Usually he was always aware of his surroundings, but lately he found himself too much distracted.

And yes. He was back to work. At first, he seemed unsure, but as Doctor Unohana stated he had better give her time and space, he decided it was time to return to his daily routine. He did not stop visiting her — he continued to sleep in the hospital —, but he chose the moments she was most likely sleeping.

"I suppose there is no one with Rukia right now."

There was no answer from his part; he shifted his attention back to the document he was reading before the untimely entrance. He saw no reason in arguing with his grandfather. To him, he was never right when it concerned Rukia.

"I see you did not see fit to warn me of your return."

His gray eyes shifted from the papers he was holding and focused on the very similar orbs of his grandparent. He remained silent for a moment, deciding whether to apologize or be straightforward.

That choice — to return to work and leave his wife alone. No! He corrected himself, she was not alone, he was giving her time… The family doctor said it herself it was for the best — was already difficult enough. There was no need for Ginrei-sama keep on chastising him.

"This is my office and this is my company."

He watched as those equal pair of slate-gray eyes stared back at him with a scold. They narrowed significantly as he spoke, opening the button of his blazer to sit comfortably in front of his grandson.

"A company you only managed to head because you married that very girl you forgot in the hospital. Don't you ever forget that."

There was no time for Byakuya to even think about a response for his secretary entered at the very moment, leather briefcase in hands, and looked at both of them questioningly.

"Good morning, Kuchiki-sama."

"Good morning, Ise-san," Ginrei replied politely as ever. Byakuya remained silent, still focused on the man sitting in front of him.

"I did not know you were returning today, _Shach_ _ō_ ," she said, a little bit unsure. "How is Rukia-sama?"

"Recovering."

"Hn… Eerr…That is good to know." She closed her eyes for a brief moment. She knew she had just interrupted the fight of the century. The old Kuchiki had never been soft on his grandson and the CEO had never been one who listens in silence. "Who shall I accompany in today's meeting?"

Byakuya even opened his mouth to reply, but he did not have enough time.

"Of course you shall accompany me." He looked at his grandson with a serious expression. "Byakuya is not even here."

He rose from his seat and buttoned his blazer again. It did not matter his advanced age, Kuchiki Ginrei had always have the impeccable looks. Looking at the secretary who had been of much help the last few weeks, he held the door open for her and motioned for her to leave.

"Do you need something, _Shach_ _ō_?"

"No." He also rose from his chair and mimicking his grandfather he placed his white coat on his shoulders. "I am not even here."

In silence, he watched the two of them leaving the office. The bimonthly meeting on profits would take place in the auditorium located in the mezzanine, the first he would miss since he became the CEO of the Kuchiki Enterprises. Not even in their honeymoon he missed that important meeting.

Turning off the lights, he looked at his office and noticed how hollow it felt without Rukia's presence. Last time he attended to one of those meetings he agreed to take her to dine out. However, the meeting lasted longer than he predicted. When he returned to his office, she was sleeping soundly on the leather couch; a cold pizza box she had not even touched placed on the coffee table, two wine glasses lay empty, the bottle however, was cleaned out.

The remembrance only made him notice how of a bad husband he was. How could he be hopeful that she recovered her memories? In all of them, he was always working, or too busy to be with her and even when they were together, he was always focused on something else.

He shook his head.

Perhaps she would be better without her memories of him.

* * *

It was twilight time when Orihime returned with the pieces of memories she promised. She was about to start her shift, so she merely dropped the files and left as soon as possible.

Rukia stared at the folder in her hands, deciding whether to open it or not. Doctor Unohana was right... she should not seek those memories back so desperately, but Inoue was not wrong either. She could not be kept in the dark. Even if she did not remember them so soon she had the right to know. If her husband was not going to reveal it for her, she would find it herself.

Trembling, if out of anxiousness or fear, she could not precise, she opened the baby-blue folder and noticed that it pertained to herself, contrary to her expectations. It was not a diary — she had never been inclined to it nor did have enough time to write one — rather a few things she maybe thought important to keep, such as newspapers clippings, photographs, post-its, and other important documents. How Inoue managed to get this, she had no idea.

She pulled out the first document. It was a newspaper. _Asahi Shimbun_ , one of the most important of the country. Front cover. Bold black letters composed the headline. In the main picture, she holds the hands of the Education Secretariat as they seal the deal. Higher-quality education that values the students as individuals rather than only a group with no identity or desires.

Rukia bit her bottom lip. She had always believed the educational system was too screwed up, but she never thought she would be one day responsible for inducing such changes.

 _The Wall Street Journal Asia_ reported that was a drastic change in all the education system that could, in the long run, bring suitable changes in economy. No word on how greatly it could affect the lives of millions of students who thought about suicide every September. But what else could she expect from a right oriented newspaper?

She sighed.

The next was the cover of the _Nikkan Gendai._ There she was, dressed in a silver princess-like gown in the arms of her husband. According to the tabloid, they were dancing in a charity ball. A happy portrait of an arranged marriage that worked out.

A Pikachu-shaped post-it was attached to the image of both of them dancing. It had her horrible calligraphy in it.

 _The dress was marvelous, but I hated it. It was not comfortable, nor it was warm enough for that chilling night of November. Byakuya chastised me in that icy tone of his that I should have heard him and bought a warmer gown. He even said that he wouldn't give me his coat. His face was regal all the time, but I think he was having fun at my expense… I never know for sure when he is serious or joking. In the end of the night, however, he placed his coat over my shoulders and let me embrace him in our way back in the limousine. It was a chilling, true, but_ happy _night._

She traced her smiling face and her heart clenched.

… _Very happy indeed..._

If that time of her life was so happy why couldn't she remember even a single moment of it?

Her eyes shifted to the man that held her close. His face was magnificent, stoic. So devoid of any emotion she wondered if he was a man or a machine. She would not be surprised if it turned out this way.

The picture, however, forced her into looking at another direction... Her left hand _._ There was a golden band encrusted with amethyst pebbles.

Automatically she looked at her own hand. The mark was there although there was no signal of the ring itself.

Who had it now?

Why was it away from her? What kind of marriage did she have? What kind of relationship? There was love? If not, did they respect each other at least?

The lump returned to her throat.

What about her father? Where was he? Why was it an arranged marriage? She was quite sure her father would not force her into it. He always respected her and her decisions so much.

And why was she thinking it all in the past tense?

He was dead.

She knew it.

Deep inside she knew.

Rukia did not know how or when, but as soon as she woke up and he was not around and none of them mentioned him, she knew... he was already gone.

When? How? Did he suffer?

She should have asked. She knew it. But she could not find the courage within herself to. What if she was not around? What if he died in one of his attacks and she was not there to help him? What if he died because of her?

There was so much in her life that was so... so confusing and painful... the idea of her father dead did not make it any easier.

Before the tears could roll down her face, she breathed in slowly and looked at the next document.

It was a simple document. It seemed to be a project, as she eyed it closely, she noticed it was one of the educational projects she had the idea to write when she was younger. So she had done it… Why was it printed? Why did it have a lot of comments? Another post-it, this time of Chappy – the rabbit, graced the front page.

 _I'm keeping this copy instead of the final version because Byakuya proofread it even though he stated more than once he didn't have enough time to. If not for him, I don't think I'd be able to write such a good project. And well… Let's be honest, he drew in the last page his Wakame Taishi holding hands with my Chappy… Isn't he a cute husband? Hope he never finds this folder, I can foresee him throwing it to the rubbish._

Her lips were already very much bruised when she placed the project aside. It was not that easier to keep the tears at bay. His calligraphy was beautiful, as regal as he and his comments, although not sweet or light, were honest and sought her best. It was clear he wanted her to be better, wanted her project to be better.

Next there was a picture of them together, a selfie. There was no post-it in it, but on the back part there were two very different handwritings. The first one of course pertained to her and the second, she noticed quickly, was his.

 _First selfie together. Yay! Never thought I'd get one. He hates photos_

It was dated March 11, 2014.

 _I have never consented to this foolishness._

His comment was almost a year after, January 10, 2015. She did not know how he came to write that, if it was because she asked him to or if he did it himself.

She let her head sink in the pillow, a long loud sigh escaping her lips. She simply could not remember! No matter how much she wanted, or how she hoped that being in contact with those items would help, it did not and it was simply frustrating!

Outside, the sky was tinted black, few stars graced the Tokyo's firmament, but she did not know that. She was too much focused on keeping the tears at bay to notice hours had gone by. Her lips trembled as she tried to control herself, but it was no longer possible.

Her face was wet now and her sobs were uncontrollable. The tears were more than she could wipe away. She cursed herself for being so weak, but the more she tried to resist the more she cried. The sobs became so frequent and loud, she had to bury her head on her hands, in order to muffle the sounds.

It seemed like hours had passed before she could gain a little more of control over her trembling form. Days before her face was finally dry, but not without a price. It was so swollen no one could pass by her without noticing she had cried her heart out for the last minutes.

Sitting back on the bed, she decided it was best if she did not look through the folder for now. Her head hurt like hell after she cried and she remembered why she hated crying so much. She busied herself with placing the documents back in their place.

Then she heard steps. Light steps, the same she heard just two days before when she woke up and found out that nothing she knew was still true. She quickly tried to hide the folder behind the pillow and barely managed to before the door was swung open.

She did not see him, did not know how he was looking. If he still had his beard or if his face was already shaved… All she knew was that she had to pretend to be sleeping, she did not have courage to face him just yet.

If it hurt her not to recall all of those memories, how it must be for him to know she did not remember him and their marriage?

* * *

The first thing he noticed as soon as he entered the room was the lack of light. He turned on the outskirts lamps and placed his coat on the coat hanger nearby.

The atmosphere was heavy, but dead silent. Since she woke up they did not talk to each other properly, she was never awake when he was closer, nor did he have enough to say, or found the right thing to. The quietness was broken when a sniff made him shift his attention to her frame.

Byakuya wondered what made her cry.

Yes, that was a stupid question, but his heart clenched at the mere possibility of being the reason why she cried after so many years.

The first time Rukia cried because of him was in the very beginning of their marriage. In their wedding night actually, when he set those horrible rules for them — actually for her — and walked away, leaving her alone. As fool as she was, she believed he spent their first night with another woman and Byakuya being Byakuya did not do anything to demote her from such idea.

When he returned to the room, she was fast asleep, but her face was swollen and drenched with her tears.

Just like the very first time, his heart now constricted. It became very, very small at the sight of her sorrowful face.

Yet, unlike that occasion, now he would give anything to make her smile again.

Sitting on the bed, he brushed his thumb on her cheekbone and caressed her lower lip. Her breath caught.

He knew she was not sleeping, he always knew when she faked anything. It was just like his other visits. Whenever he was in the same room she would pretend to be fast asleep, but after three years sleeping with her in his arms, he knew her sleeping pattern better than he knew his own.

Did the possibility of being married to him affect her that much? Was it so unbearable to look at his face?

Aware that she just needed some time to cope with the idea of facing a strange that suddenly became her husband, he never spoke anything either. He let her pretend to be asleep while he pretended to buy her little white lie.

But now... Now he just had so much going on inside his head he wanted to warn her not to lie to him.

He shook such thoughts. It would do their relationship no good if their first talk was the same of their first meeting ever.

Byakuya was about to leave her and the room when he noticed the blue folder placed behind her pillow. Pulling it to him, he noticed it was where she stored a bunch of documents about them or things she considered important.

She gulped, but remained still, lids pressed forcefully together. Time seemed to freeze and so did her petite body.

Touching the pikachu post-it, he closed his eyes. So... that was the reason she had been crying. She had been looking at memories of them for God's know how many hours. How did she get that folder? He would punish for sure whoever give that to her.

He could just wonder how painful it was to look through it and not be able to remember even a thing... or perhaps she did and they were of him leaving her alone to work until the tender hours of the morning, of him making her cry... of her saying that she loved him without ever receiving a proper reply.

His fingers found his way to her bang, removing it from her face and touching it slowly as he often did after their long lovemaking sessions.

When the first words came to life in his mouth he was as much as surprised as she was.

"I hope you never recover your memories of us."

* * *

Rukia did not think she would be able to sleep after those horrible words he spoke, but he left the room as soon as they came out of his lips.

She sat on the bed and looked at the closed door with a questioning look on her face. What the hell was that?

However, she had very little time to think of anything else for the kind Doctor greeted her.

"Hello, Rukia-san..." There was a sympathetic smile on her lips. "How are you feeling?"

 _Confused, I think..._ What the hell just happened?

"I am fine."

"No headache?"

"Just a little..."

"I see your husband arrived," she commented lifting Rukia's chin to look her in the eyes. If she noticed how bloodshot they were she was kind enough to remain silent.

"Yes, he did..."

"Did you two talk?" Her question caught Rukia off guard, but she did not have enough time to reply, for the doctor was pretty much focused on her heartbeats. "Your exams turned out pretty fine. Tomorrow afternoon we will discharge you."

A deep breath she did not even know she had been holding left her mouth. The Hospital was truly comfortable, but nothing like home...

She widened her eyes at the thought of home... if she was married, married to the richest man of the country, of course her sweet, old home was far gone now. Where did she live? Ginza? Azabu?

"...you will be fine as long as you follow the medical orders."

"Yes..." she muttered meekly, aware she lost a good deal of the doctor's words. "Unohana-sama..."

"Yes..."

"When I will recover my memories?"

The physician fell silent for a moment, as if choosing the best way to approach the matter.

"You should give it a rest, Rukia-san..."

"Will I? Or there is a possibility that I never..."

The silence that followed her line was almost unbearable. Rukia swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Yes. There is always the possibility."

"I see..." Her voice was small, weak as she shifted her attention to the windows.

"Don't worry." Although she could not see it, she could swear there was a smile on the doctor's lips. "You can always make new memories with your husband."

With that, she left. In the following minutes, as the medicine entered her system, she fell soundly asleep.

* * *

It was past two in the morning when she woke up again. The room would be completely dark if not for the light coming from the bathroom.

Quickly, she looked at the source of light, afraid he was awake, but was relieved when she found him lying on the armchair. Her brows shot up, was it not too small for him? Why did he insist on sleeping in such place when he could have the leather couch?

She shook her head and removed the IV from her arm, careful not to hurt herself. She was already all sore from those needles and because she stayed three weeks in only one position, she could not afford to spend more days at the hospital.

Holding her breath, and so slowly a snail would be quicker, she approached his sleeping form and waved her hand in front of him.

Nothing.

She did it again.

He did not move. He was fast asleep.

Sighing, she walked to his white blazer and touched its pockets. There was a piece of paper. She retrieved it and raised it to her eyes. In the dim light she could barely see its contents, but there it was, his rich calligraphy.

 _Buy Rukia her medicines. Force her to take it_.

In the border of the paper there was a Chappy smiling. Her drawing.

A sad smile graced her lips.

When a small sound reached her ears, her heart almost stopped. Looking startled at him, she noticed he just shifted in the armchair.

Relieved, she went to the next pocket in which she found his mobile phone. It was identical to hers.

There was no way to unlock it, for she did not know his password nor had his fingerprint, but she could see at least the background image.

It made her breath stop on her throat.

There she was, all dressed in riding clothes, bathed by the sunlight, riding a white-brown horse — it was such a beautiful photo it took her breath away. She had always wanted to ride horses, had always found the animals strong and beautiful, but never had the chance to. He was nowhere to be seen in the picture, so she just assumed he was the one to click it.

Again, as she held the reins of the beautiful animal, she noticed not only her bright and happy smile, but also the gold band in her finger.

Yes, that's what she was looking for. She placed the mobile phone back in the pocket and continued her search.

Nothing.

She was not even closer to find it. She walked back to him looked at his frame.

Yes. He shaved his face.

He looked much younger without the beard. The fact he was sleeping and his stern eyes were closed almost gave him a relaxed and peaceful look.

She ached to touch him, but held herself.

Biting her bottom lip, she took her time to watch him closely. Kuchiki Byakuya, her husband, was surely a handsome man.

It was not surprising every girl her age dreamed to be in her toes. The nurse wished to be her — even in her current condition.

Everything about his face and body denounced absolute power. She wondered how she felt being held by those powerful arms of his.

She should blush at the idea of being touched by another man other than Renji — he was her first and she intended him to be the last... at least she did. She did not know anymore — but she faced it with relative ease. Of course they had been intimate and she suspected she not only enjoyed it as she loved him as well. If she was willing to have a child with him — she never thought of anyone else before to be the father of her children than Renji — it must be because she was deeply in love with him.

Then why couldn't she remember him? Not even a single memory of him flashed through her mind. There was only blank when she thought of him... pure, desperate, painful blank.

She shook her head. She should not lose her time so much. He would wake up at any time. She knew his sleeping pattern was messed given the last two days. He would wake up more than once and she could not have that.

Rather: she did not want to face him and his cold demeanor.

 _I hope you never recover your memories of us._

What a horrible thing to say. She wanted so badly to remember him... remember their moments together and there he was... expecting... no, _hoping_ , she never recalled him.

Her lips were already bruised when she leant into him and removed a strand of jet black hair from his face.

At her touch he moved in the chair, causing her to retreat, startled. He did not wake up nonetheless. With his movement, she saw it... the golden ring hanging on his neck.

Rukia held her breath. If she just reached out a bit...

Her fingers barely brushed it when she felt a warm hand wrapping around her wrist.

"You should be in bed."

* * *

For a few seconds, she could only blink in the dark, surprised to find him wide awake.

Byakuya pulled her by the wrist, making her whimper and fall on his arms. In this position they were too much close... their breath mixed together and their noses almost brushed.

"Kuchiki-sama..."

"Rukia."

Somehow he was displeased to hear her calling him once again so formally.

Her hand was open on his chest, she could feel all his heartbeats.

A human being indeed... not a machine.

A blush none of them could notice in the darkness of the room spread on her cheeks.

The silence was almost unbearable and it seemed to last for hours. She took her time to analyze his features. From this close he was even more handsome and powerful.

The fact she was sitting on his lap and one of his hands were placed on her hips while the other still hold onto her wrist did not bother her. _Surprisingly_. It merely confirmed her earlier thoughts, they had been intimate and she appreciated it... very much.

"Go to sleep," he commanded, releasing her slowly.

She held onto him more firmly.

"This band..." Her voice was shaky. It was funny how all her fear fled from her mind as soon as she found herself in his arms. Perhaps it was the lack of light, or her growing curiosity, "is it mine?"

He did not reply, so she took his lack of answer as an answer in itself. She removed the necklace and looked at it closely. All the while he remained in silence, merely watching her.

When she was about to place it on her finger, he stopped her.

"You should not seek those memories back."

She gasped.

"W-Why?"

If there was a word to describe Rukia at the moment it was surely dumbfounded.

"Were we that unhappy?" Her voice was small and her heart constricted as she waited for the answer.

For a few seconds he did not talk and this habit of his was driving her nervous beyond control.

The folder... the files... the newspapers, her friends, the doctor, the nurses... All of it indicated she was happy with him. Happier than she had ever been.

Hell, she wanted to have a child with him...

"It was an arranged marriage. None of us wanted it," he replied truthfully.

"I know..."

It was all over the newspapers. An arranged marriage that worked out. A fairy-tale come true.

His warm fingers touched her cheeks. She closed her eyes. The touch felt so real, so good and so heartfelt all at once... it was like being home again after years away.

"We made it work out... The newspapers..."

"Newspapers can be deceiving." His tone was harsh, cold as if he wanted to destroy all of her fantasies.

"I know but..."

A happy fairy-tale... That's what one of those sites described their relationship. The marriage of the century.

Desperate to find more information about them... _about him..._ she used the internet in her mobile phone and placed their names in the google chrome app.

They graced the trending topics more than once. Because of their marriage, because of their partnership, because he was chosen as the businessman of the year, because she won several educational prizes, because of their looks, because she became the country's loved princess... because she was the Queen that warmed up the Ice King.

There was even what people called _ships_. A fusion of both of their names.

 _ByaRuki_. Byakuya and Rukia.

There were so many pictures of them. So many tabloids wrote about them. About every single happening in their marriage... about her collapse.

The entire press focused on her husband's pain. One of them spoke how destroyed he seemed at his Birthday.

And she learned he was born in the same month as she even if six years before.

The amount of information was overwhelming. She did not know how she learned how to deal with so much harassment. The entire media was over them and every little detail became the news of the year. Being poor and invisible all her life she wondered it was not easier at the beginning.

His tips on her chin forced her to look at him.

"You read about us in the internet," he stated as if scolding her.

In fact, he was. He knew those articles very well to know they did not match the reality. Byakuya did not want her to believe in that fake fairy-tale when their reality was far from it.

She could very well be the princess, but he was far from the Charming Prince.

As he thought of her believing he was that good for her when all he did all those years was make her cry, he felt angry.

So unbelievably angry at himself he had trouble controlling himself.

"I...I..."

He forced her to stand up and rose from the armchair as well.

"Don't be ridiculous."

Her eyes widened at his harsh words.

"Media has a habit of lying."

The lump in her throat returned. So... he was just saying that all that she had seen was but a lie? She knew that she could not trust everything, but she hoped that if their life was a living hell there would not be so much people believing their marriage was a fairy-tale. And hell, she was not that innocent, she was a teacher, she knew when it was a blatant lie and when it was partially the truth.

Suddenly, the room was full with an anxious feeling as he walked away to drink water. The silence was so complete she could swear she heard the liquid running down his throat.

It was killing her.

Was it always like this?

Did that silent behavior of him always unsettle her that much or did she learn how to live with that?

His back was turned to her and she noticed how much he was tense.

She ached to touch him again, to somehow ease that instance of his, but held herself. There was a question she did have to ask before anything else.

"Do you hate me?"

Byakuya eyed her over his shoulder. His eyes told her he thought she was a stranger being... with 90 heads, perhaps.

"I could never hate you."

Rukia bit her bottom lip. That was a relief. She released her baited breath and looked down, bracing herself for the next question.

"Do you love me?"

Now he was completely turned to her and his eyes were unreadable. The fact it was impossible to read anything in his handsome face did not make it any easier for her.

He walked to her, stepped into her personal space and caused her to close her eyes.

Her heart beat so fast it was about to explode. When he removed the bang from her face, she was almost shaking with anxiousness.

But then... as simply as that, his touch was gone and his body was no longer so close to hers.

She heard the doorknob being turned and the door opened with a too loud sound for the quietness of the room.

Then his voice filled her ears and its content made her choke.

"Goodnight, Rukia."

* * *

 **A/N – That's all for today, kids!**

 **Who wants to kill Byakuya?**

 **I wrote this chapter listening to** Come to my,by Seungri. **While I'm a bit… well… let's say not too much into kpop and have a few worries of my own on this topic, I felt this this lyrics expresses how Byakuya feels about this whole situation… I told you, it's angst after all ^^**

 **Newspapers and places here mentioned in fact do exist. Just to let you know I didn't come up with it on my own.**

 **As for Orihime and Ishida dating… I don't ship IchiHime for many reasons, but I have nothing against them. I'm more of an UlquiHime fan, but I decided to try here for IshiHime… so let's see. Anyway, they won't have a big part in this story, as it's more focused in Byakuya and Rukia solely.**

 **About Ginrei… I know he must be really OOC (everyone is OOC, that can't be helped, sorry guys, trying my best here). We don't really know how he truly was, but I imagine him being harsh on Byakuya, not because he hates him, but because he seeks his best and well… as the heir to an Empire…**

 **For** anon **who asked about the timeline: She has been married to Byakuya for 3 years, but they know each other for 4. It happens that Rukia wasn't a virgin when she married him, so she was on birth control since before, when she was dating Renji. Five years is how long he was chosen as the businessman of the year it was even before he was married to Rukia. Hope it's less confusing now ^^**

 **See you probably next week or the other, don't know if I can correct chapter 3 till next week, but let's see. What I can promise is that I will do my best to update The Duke's Lover next week, for it's the anniversary of the fic.**

 **Wish me luck with my final exams and my paper. And I'll be eagerly waiting for your reviews ^^**

 **Take care,**

 **Velvetsins.**


	3. Poisoned Memories

**Well… As promised, here I am to update Remember xD**

 **Didn't thought I would make it for today, but I somehow did. I also think I'll be able to update next week, but only God knows when I'll update chapter 5. Just started it and the exams are about to get me, so… you know.**

 **My biggest thanks to each one of you who reviewed last chapter. Loved each one of them** (PAMILA DE CASTRO, Luud-chan, neige blanc-sec, JoTerry, guest, , Meenathequeen, Guest, EclipseLove, noblepride, onlyluna, Red, RukiaTif). **Shout-outs to France and all my French readers.**

Shachō means President.

 **Disclaimer: Kubo owns Bleach, I own this plot. All brands and places here mentioned are real and I don't own them.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Remember_

 **Chapter 3. Poisoned Memories**

* * *

 _Her muffled laughter filled his ears as they walked together in the corridors of the Auction House. Holding her hand between his — not really because they were the romantic couple the tabloids very much liked to paint them — but for his young wife decided to drink more than she could possibly take, he led her out of the commotion created in room where the auction took place._

 _Byakuya did not want to be there, but he had to. The auction of the finest and most expensive jewelry had reunited the only the wealthiest citizens of Tokyo, the Kuchiki family included. The purpose was to sell such items to help raising funds for those who suffered in 2011 Fukushima's Earthquake._

Charity... _If there was something he did not like was charity. Those events always seemed meaningless to him. His sweet wife, however, excelled at charity. She could_ and wouldhelp _— to his complete despair — even the poorest dog in the streets. It was easy when it was not her money she was spending so carelessly._

 _Now, she had just made him buy one of the most expensive jewelry of that auction. Not Rukia properly... But her public figure. They were barely married for a semester and the entire country seemed to have fallen in love with her._

 _Annoyed at her slow pace, he pulled her to him, causing her to bump against his back and let out a strangled laugh._

" _What is so funny?"_

 _By her lack of response, he knew she was either biting her bottom lip or stifling another wave of laughter. At the moment, he did not know which were most likely to happen. All the while Byakuya was looking at her out of the corner of his eyes, but at her sudden hiss he turned to face her properly._

 _Her usual bubbly expression — he took no pride in saying he had seen her drunk more than once in their three months marriage — was replaced by one of what looked like pain. She shuddered._

" _Rukia."_

 _His tone should be filled with worry, but he was far more upset than he should have been. If there was a trait he was far from having, it was naivety. He was too much experienced with women — the ones of her kind — to know when they were faking something. The fact that his wife's actions always seemed beyond reproachable and that he could never scold her as he properly wanted, and should for the sake of their relationship and his company, was mining his patience._

" _My feet..." She bit her bottom lip and furrowed her brows as she looked down, "ouch! It hurts."_

 _Her frown should have driven him mad at her, but as he looked down, he realized she indeed had her reasons to be in pain. Her toes were bleeding; the delicate pearly color that covered them was soiled by crimson._

 _Even more annoyed, he pulled her to him, lifting her in bridal style. Her loud, girlish squeak would be heard by the entire place if they were not luckily far from the main room._

" _What are you doing?"_

 _There was no answer from his part as he carried her to a bench in one of the empty corridors. Slowly, he forced her to sit, knelt before her and pulled her left leg to him._

 _His eyes closed briefly as he took a better look at the small injury in her feet._

 _It seemed his wife was not used at all to those high heels — or everything related to high society; it was obvious how out of place she felt when she first wore the dress signed by the famous designer Yuki Torii. The nude louboutin hurt her toes and she probably did not feel it until much later because her blood was still hot in her veins while they danced or he dragged her along with him._

" _Byakuya-sama..." She hissed as he used one of his handkerchiefs to clean off the already dried blood. He ran it delicately over her toes and looked back at her._

 _From his position, knelt in front of her — the almighty Kuchiki Byakuya kneeling to a woman; it was a feat she did not manage not even when he asked for her hand in the expensive dinner at his Company — he could see how her expressive eyes shone with some emotion he could not decipher, but found quite enchanting._

 _As he finished cleaning both her toes and her shoes, he rose from his position and outstretched his hand for her to take._

" _Can you walk?"_

 _She nodded. Even if she knew it would hurt all over again, it would be too embarrassing to be carried by him. What if someone saw? A photographer? A paparazzi?_

 _The thought made her shudder. Noticing this, Byakuya was quick to remove his coat and place it over her shoulders. She blushed._

" _I-I'm not cold..."_

 _There was no answer from his part as he closed two buttons of the coat. It was too big for her small frame, making her look even more like a teenager than the woman he knew her to be._

 _He was about walk to the elevator, fully intending to leave the Auction, even if none of them bid their goodbyes, when her hands on his tie prevented any movement._

 _It was not the first time she fixed it for him, but it was surely the first he watched her breath become so heavy. He eyed her with interest as she seemed concentrated on her task. When she was done, none of them spoke anything and the silence became almost too unbearable._

 _Byakuya watched as she bit down her bottom lip, feeling the sudden urge to do it himself, but he controlled his impulse. As far as he would admit, that sexual tension between them was killing him. And although they never indulged in carnal pleasures, there was only a limit he could go without sex. Four months..._ Four _. He did not think he would have to endure celibacy for that long before. He could have any woman he wanted and yet, there they were... Married and denying themselves the much needed pleasure and lingering in sweet torture._

" _It was... hm... I was..."_

 _In an act he would reprimand himself later, pulled her by the waist for him, their bodies gluing against each other. Her breath caught, but he did not move farther. This time there was no girlish giggles or any other sound for that matter._

 _He was the first to initiate their kisses before, just to be denied._ Denied. _That was also a first for him. Usually, he would be the one to deny women, but not with Rukia. He knew she desired him; it was visible in her eyes, in how her body seemed to melt against his, in the sounds she made while they kissed just to break apart without warning not long after, too much bothered about betraying that loser ex-boyfriend of hers. So he would not be the one to initiate it this time. If she wanted it she would have..._

 _His thoughts were suddenly cut short as she placed her lips upon his, her fingers sliding in his hair, angling his head to have better access to his mouth._

 _Byakuya allowed her dominance for a while, the kiss too much slow and soft for his liking. Placing one of his hands on her neck, he intensified the touch and deepened it, causing her to moan against his lips. Viciously, he drank all of these sounds, releasing a growl of his own when she bit his bottom lip._

 _When they broke apart, he noticed a blinding flash not very far from them._

 _He looked down, wanting to protect her from the harassment, but noticed, much to his annoyance, that she was fast asleep against his chest; her lips swollen by their earlier kisses. With a deep breath, he lifted her in his arms, when another flash captured them._

 _Next morning, he would grace the newspapers not only as the passionate husband that made out with his wife at the Charity Auction in the Mainichi building, but as the thoughtful, romantic man who cared too much for his beautiful woman. The Queen had finally melted the Ice King._

* * *

It was still dark when Byakuya's eyes fluttered open with the loud ringing of his mobile phone. He pulled it from the bedside table and ended the call before even checking the one calling him. Out of habit, he patted the left side of the gigantic bed looking for Rukia.

 _Empty._

A sigh escaped his lips as he recalled she did not came back home with him. _Her own choice._

Looking back at his mobile phone, he realized it would be six a.m. soon. He had an important meeting that morning he could not lose or arrive late. The future of a very relevant business, one already postponed twice because of Rukia's conditions, could be sealed that day. Absolutely nothing could go wrong.

Slowly, he rose from the bed and walked to the closet. The first section of clothes pertained to Rukia, from high end clothes and shoes to some of her older rags she did not feel like getting rid of. His part came right after hers. He chose an indigo double-breasted suit and a white dress-shirt and let them in front of the gigantic mirror.

It had been three days since their interaction in the Hospital. Since he left her alone.

 _I hope you never recover your memories of us._

He meant it. He really did.

Running his hands over his tired and unshaved face, he walked to the bathroom of the master bedroom in their penthouse in Minami-Azabu.

 _Or his..._

He did not know anymore.

Rukia was discharged from the Hospital two days prior, but decided against coming back home with him.

When he arrived to get her back, none other than Abarai Renji was there, holding the door of that old, peasant and cheap car of his for her.

His eyes narrowed even now at the memory. He never liked the man, now he despised him even more.

 _I'm just driving her to Inoue's house._

His trembling voice still echoed in Byakuya's ears. There was no further explanation from her part. When he held her wrist and prevented her from entering the car, she looked at him with her already big eyes widened.

The man, luckily for himself, did not do anything to prevent him from dragging her to a more secluded area.

"Che..." He ran his fingers in his red hair. "I'm waiting you over there."

"Huh? Wait!" Her eyes were still wide as she looked at him. Shaking her head, she muttered under her breath, "That idiot...!"

Silence accompanied their steps towards a side garden. It was surprisingly empty that hour. Byakuya led her to a bench and forced her to sit.

It was rather awkward for a moment, with both quiet and Rukia tapping her legs with her fingers nervously.

"I don't know if I'm supposed to apologize..."

He was still silent as he eyed her intently.

"...I should have told you I was going to Inoue's house..."

His silence was bothering her. More than she thought possible. He was so stoic, so silent and so untouched by any emotion she questioned herself if she was not mistaken when she first decided he was a man, not a machine.

Perhaps Japan was so advanced in the technology field he was a kind of robot with a heart and humanly configurations, but lacked in expression and feelings...?

She bit her bottom lip and rose from the bench.

"I know it must be terrible that I can't remember you... But..."

"I could have driven you there."

His first statement had her blinking nervously for a few seconds.

 _Excuse me?_

What was the difference between Renji driving her or him? Apart from the part the silence would not be that unbearable, because there would be no silence at all.

"...Please don't look for me anymore..."

Her shaky statement had him widening his eyes ever so slight she questioned herself if she was not hallucinating.

"...I'll do it when I'm ready to."

All the while she backed away from him, as a wounded and cornered animal looking for an exit.

"...I am sorry... I am so sorry..."

Two days since then. How long would it take for her to contact him? One day? One week? A month? Or a year? Maybe a lifetime...

The idea of Rukia moving past him and their relationship brought him no comfort even when he reassured himself that was what he wanted.

 _I hope you never recover your memories of us._

Easier said than done.

He stepped out of the shower with a towel hanging around his hips and walked back to his closet.

Memories of the two of them inside that gigantic penthouse apartment filled his mind. Of her giggling while they stepped out of the shower together or made love against the walls of the closet or simply watched a movie together in the living room wanted to make him realize it was worth fighting for her.

But those memories as good as they were could never bury or excel the bad ones. The times he made her cry, left her alone or feeling the worst person to walk the Earth. Unfortunately, that was a talent of his he excelled at.

It did not matter if Rukia looked for him today or never looked for him at all.

For her sake he should let her go.

It would be the best thing he could do for her.

* * *

Rukia woke up with the annoying alarm ranging loudly across the room.

She sat on the bed and ran her fingers over her face.

Gosh, she felt horrible.

Two days... Two days since they parted ways in the Hospital and no matter she asked of him to be left alone, he was constantly pushing through her mind.

Something inside of her wanted to remember him so desperately she could not spend a full hour without thinking about him.

His face came back to haunt her not only during the night, but also when she was eating, bathing or talking happily to someone. Even if this someone was Inoue talking about spaceships and medicine in Mars. How she connected those two different topics, Rukia had no idea, but she somehow did.

 _Inoue..._ Inoue was one hell of a friend. Really... she could not even think about what would be of her without her friend.

When she asked of Orihime to spend a few days in her house, she expected her friend would think about it a few more days, but she agreed right away and instead of letting her have the couch, she said she could have the bed. When Rukia disagreed, she suggested both of them shared it.

It seemed like their twelve's were back!

Sighing, she removed the arm from around her body — sadly, her friend had bad sleeping habits and always felt like hugging her while they slept. It would be weird, if their relationship were not a sisterly one — and rolled her to the other side.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty!" She giggled as a very unladylike sound left Inoue's lips. "You have morning shift today!"

"Eh...?"

With a loud sound, she collapsed from the bed and hit the floor.

"Oh my Kami!" She ran her fingers over her hair and tied it fiercely. "I'm going to assist Ishida-kun's father in a surgery today. If I'm late he will kill me!"

As she finished that line she was already in the shower, brushing her teeth and almost stepping out of it in a rush.

"Want me to make breakfast?"

"No! I can't afford to eat. A person could die while I..."

Rukia's eyes were widened as she touched Orihime's forehead.

"Are you fine?"

"Huh?"

"You aren't going to eat? You of all people!"

She chuckled. The sound reverberating through her body. It soon was coming out from Inoue's lips too.

"I'm being all crazy and nuts, right?"

"No..." She shook her head, still chuckling. "You are being you."

"Sorry, Kuchiki-san..." She bit her bottom lip and looked down. "I guess I'm just anxious."

"Relax... I'll drive you there."

"Really?" Her head snapped up, her gray eyes shone contently.

"Really!"

With that, she left her friend alone and walked to the kitchen to make at least coffee and get an old piece of bread or something like that. There would be no time for something like fish, _gohan_ or _missoshiro_.

Thankfully, together with her clothes, Inoue retrieved her car from the place where she lived with her husband.

Yes. She was right. They lived in Azabu. Minami-Azabu. In a fucking 5.600 sq ft penthouse. According to Inoue, her closet was larger than her entire house, or the house she lived before with her beloved father.

Her father... Ukitake Jūshirō was dead. For almost two years now... He died after she got married with his full blessings.

How?

Nothing of it made any sense. Not at all...

She shook her head before those sad thoughts took a hold of her.

Glancing over her shoulder at the kettle, she finished the coffee and handed it to Orihime as soon as she stepped in the doorway.

"I guess I won't be back before night. Are you going to be fine?"

"Yes." She frowned. "Of course! I think I should go to the supermarket and buy some edible food..."

"What's the problem with the food I have here?" Her brows were knit together in a confused expression.

Rukia laughed and shook her head.

"Nothing..." _I just can't eat it...?_ Those words never left her mouth nonetheless. "Let's go?"

"What about you? Won't you have breakfast?"

"No... I can get something in the way. Let's go. We don't want you to be late after all you are going to be brilliant today."

"Kuchiki-san?" Inoue called from the kitchen, her eyes full of unshed tears. Rukia approached her afraid something was wrong or that she said the wrong thing. "You are the best friend ever!"

With that she threw herself at the worried woman, hugging her fiercely.

A happy chuckle left her lips at the warm and fuzzy gesture.

She could not remember the last four years, but undoubtedly, her friends were still the same.

And she still loved them very much.

* * *

Byakuya went down the stairs and walked to the exit of the restaurant where he spent the last few hours discussing the terms of the agreement he was about to seal with a smaller company.

Thankfully it had gone well. Kyōraku Shunsui complimented his skills saying his aggressive strategy would have weaker companies stepping away quickly.

With an arrogant tone while they sipped their sakes, he spoke,

"If it were a weaker company I would not even bother to come here for lunch."

Shunsui arched his brows.

"I don't know if that was a compliment to my company or you were just stating yours is better _"._ He sipped his drink and looked back at the younger man sitting across from himself in the tatami floor."Should I feel offended or flattered?"

"Suit yourself."

His nonchalant reply had the other man laughing heartily. Shunsui placed his hand over his heart and looked at Byakuya curiously.

"Tell me, Byakuya-san..." He moved to fill both of their cups with more sake, to which he was quickly denied. "That's how you conquered your wife?"

The relatively light mood in the room vanished as soon as those words left his lips.

Without an answer, Byakuya rose to his feet and walked to the shoji doors of the traditional reserved room of the restaurant.

"Did any of my comments bother you?"

There was silence for a moment as Byakuya wore back his shoes and buttoned his suit.

"My private life is none of your business, Kyōraku-san."

Now he waited as the valet brought back his car, his mood as cloudy as the sky.

The wind was chilly, but the sun fought to shine through the amount of gray clouds.

When the Chrysler 300C was in front of the restaurant and the valet stepped out of it, he put his sunglasses on and entered the vehicle, but not before he caught a look of a petite woman entering the flower shop across the street.

Byakuya shook his head.

He was so sleep-deprived he was starting to see things that did not exist.

* * *

It was past two in the afternoon when Rukia had her lunch. The fridge was full, the house cleaned and everything seemed in place. However... however, something was still missing.

She felt so lonely…

Rukia looked at her mobile phone — for some reason she could not understand, the background was still the same; her good-looking husband hugging her from behind — and thought about calling Renji, but decided against it.

He was a married man now. She had no right to look for him. No... _None at all._

It was a shock to discover he was a married man — even if he did not seem a very happy one — and had a beautiful baby girl and was expecting another child.

What shocked her most was the fact no one recalled to tell her that and only when she kissed him in the car back to Inoue's house, she discovered that awful truth. The fact he did not try to stop her and only told her he was a married man afterwards created a very awkward situation.

Life was surely full of surprises. A decade earlier and she would call crazy whoever told her Renji would be no longer a part of her life and instead would be married to a rich heiress of a huge Chinese Enterprise.

Now she was also a married woman who decided on top of that to never see Renji again. They simply broke apart. One day they were long term friends with a long term relationship and then they were strangers who did not speak to each other and forgot about their very existence.

And even if his relationship with his wife seemed shaky, even if he had accepted her kiss — she did not know where her mind was when she decided to kiss him; she was a married woman for god's sake — she had no right to storm back into his life and claim a place that was no long hers. He was about to become father again! Could that be any more troubled than it already was?

No. She surely could not go after him.

Ichigo was not an option, he was working at the moment and so were all of her friends. Perhaps she could get her car and go for a ride…? She thought about going to the school, but decided against it because it would be rather awkward to have all those people and students after her and not be able to remember none of them.

Staying at home would do her no good. Not even 30 minutes had gone by since she stopped to catch a breath and she was already thinking about Renji and her husband and her lost memories.

Shaking her head, Rukia grabbed the keys and decided that yes… she surely should go for a ride.

* * *

 _The sun was high in the sky as he watched her riding one of his horses from a safe distance. It was her first time riding a horse and he had been patiently teaching her. Thankfully she was one to learn fast. Actually, faster than he expected._

 _Holding the reins together, he observed her trying to go faster, always ready to go to her rescue if needed. His horses were usually calm and collected, but one can never know for sure. When she looked over her shoulder to him and smiled, he went to her, urging his black stallion in a restrained pace._

 _It was their second time travelling to the countryside. His family house in Hida-Takayama was cozy and lively, far from the noises that filled Tokyo and the rush of the big cities; everything was calm there; it seemed the clock was not the same or the power it exerted over every being._

 _Surprisingly and contrary to their first visit, it was not related to business now. He did not have a great business partner to visit, nor he did have a huge event to attend to. It was summer and Rukia's holidays._

 _Being married for a year and half now and coming to terms with their relationship, they decided — most likely his grandfather forced them to — to get a few days for themselves. Rukia seemed happy with his decision, she seemed happy to be around him and it let his heart at ease — even if he was not aware of the reason._

 _It was also somehow comforting to know that now they could openly talk to each other, as she did last night when they went over to dine with a few of his family's acquaintances. It still irked him how those old ladies left her bewildered with those baby issues._

 _If there was something he was quite pleased about was the fact they still did not have any child. It would surely disrupt their peace and they would have no relationship at all. To get to the point they were now took both of them a while._

 _Hell, it took him seven months to even crash that ridiculous idea of betraying her ex-boyfriend who was abroad._ Eight months of celibacy… _Byakuya thought he was about to go crazy by the moment they finally shared the same bed._

 _And now… a year and half later those old ladies thought it was absurd the fact she was not pregnant yet. He only realized it was what clouded her mind when they lay back on the bed after they spent themselves and she seemed too much quiet for someone who enjoyed 'pillow talk' more than should be appropriate._

 _She seemed guilty at first because she was still not pregnant and did not even introduce the matter with him. It was her responsibility to carry the heir. After all that was the main reason for their marriage…_

 _Byakuya was never found of children, they were too much noisy and needy. Little monsters that could not hold their ground by themselves. Weak beings that needed their parents constantly… However, the idea of having those_ little monsters _with Rukia did not seem so horrible after giving it a thought._

" _What are you looking at?" She asked with a blush on her cheeks as he stared intently at her face and then descended his eyes upon her body till they stopped at her flat belly. "Is there something weird with me?"_

No, _he was not crazy to destroy their fragile relationship with a child right now._

" _Let's go." He tore his eyes off of her frame and looked ahead. "It's getting cold and late."_

" _Huh?" She looked up at him, stopping her caress on the horse. The animal let out an unhappy sound. "Already?"_

 _Byakuya was about to reply when the first drop of rain hit his forehead. He closed his eyes for a moment, annoyed at his horrible timing. He expected to be inside their home when the sky decided to open up over them, but it seemed he was a bit late. Letting go of the reins of his horse, he dismounted and walked to her, placing inside her hands the flowers she had picked up that afternoon._

" _What?"_

 _There was no answer from his part as he mounted behind her and pulled the reins to himself. He felt her freezing as his arms circled her waist and brought her back to his chest. Although he could not see her face, he was pretty sure a rosy color colored her cheeks. A small smirk took over his lips at the thought._

" _What are you doing?"_

" _Going back home," he replied nonchalantly as ever, urging the horse to go faster. Her nails dug into his arms as she felt the wind moving past them. Placing his lips on her ears, he whispered, "Or are you confident you can ride this fast?"_

" _N-No…" Her heart seemed to be on her mouth right now. Of course she could not do it…_ Yet. _She expected that with his help and lessons she would be as good as he at riding horses. However, she could not deny it was a pleasant sensation. Rukia noticed that the black stallion he was mounting before was by their side, following them. She chuckled as her hair flew around her face and tickled it. "It feels amazing!"_

 _He relinquished at her laughter as she let go of his arm and looked back at him, her face so close to his own, their breathes mixed. There was no laugh anymore. She grew silent. Aware of her very movements, Byakuya brought the animal to a sudden stop, causing her eyes to grow wide._

" _It was a happy day…" she confessed with a contented sigh and then bit her bottom lip, looking down. "I am happy here… with you". The last words came out as a barely audible whisper. His heart quickened at them. If he was not so close to her, he doubted he would even hear such confession._

" _I want to kiss you…" he admitted, his voice deep and husky. She bit her bottom lip and looked straight into his eyes as she spoke,_

" _You may…"_

 _At her reply his hold tightened around her slim waist. He even lowered his head to hers, but did not move forward, he just let his nose brush hers before she closed her beautiful eyes and touched her lips with his. It was a light kiss at first but soon their mouths were moving avidly against each other; the rain falling over them now torrentially. One of his hands still held her by the waist while the other angled her head better, his thumb caressing her face tenderly._

 _When they broke apart, his eyes too much intense for her to continue to gaze into, she looked down at the now disrupted flowers she gathered earlier. A defeated sigh left her._

" _I think I crushed them…" Shaking her head, she was about to throw them out. "What a waste…" Now she could not even make the floral arrangement she had in mind that very afternoon._

" _No." His voice was deep and authoritative as he held her hands. "Keep them."_

" _What? Why?" she asked in a loud voice to be heard over the thunder, a frown gracing her features._

 _There was no response from his part as he motioned for the horse to keep going. A small smirk took over his lips without her noticing._

 _Byakuya had a fair idea of what to do with those flowers of hers for the rest of that stormy night._

* * *

" _Shachō…_ Did you hear me?" There was an intake of breath before the feminine voice echoed again in the room. _"Shachō?"_

"Yes…" Byakuya replied emotionlessly; his hand shot to his tie, loosening it slightly. At first, when he went to his lunch with Kyōraku Shunsui, he did not wear one. His grandfather, however, thought he was too much casual for the shareholder meeting they were to attend later. In sum, he was forced to wear that uncomfortable piece of fabric tightening around his throat. "Cancel the next meeting."

"What?" Her eyes shot open at his statement. "But… _Shachō…_ You spent almost two weeks trying to get in touch with this supplier, you can't just…"

"Ise-san…" He looked at her with narrowed eyes. "I do not recall having asked for your opinion."

"Yes, but…" A sigh left her lips. "I apologize, _Shachō."_ Her voice was low as she walked to the door and bowed respectfully, even if she wanted to behave completely different.

Kuchiki Byakuya was an ass in her opinion. He had always been; since she started working for him when he was but a mere director she disliked him and his demeanor towards people. He was excellent at whatever he should perform, but he lacked when it came to personal relations. It was only after he got married to Ukitake Rukia that he managed to get his temper together and behave more nicely to everyone.

If she did not accompany him in most of his meetings, she would doubt his abilities to close a good deal, but where the man lacked in personal relations he excelled at selling his software. He understood what they did and he could lecture for hours about his family company and what they produced. The fact that they only had the most exceptional products was excellent and his untainted image helped a lot. He convinced people not because of his words, he would not even need them, but because of his image. He exuded power from his very pores, not even an influential chairman would mess up with the almighty Kuchiki Byakuya.

If he so wanted to cancel a meeting, no one — even less a supplier — would be crazy enough to question him or demand otherwise.

"Will that be all?"

He did not give her a proper reply before he rose from his seat and looked at the huge windows behind his desk, hands in his pockets. Although he did not see it, he heard his secretary closing the door behind herself.

A sigh left his lips.

Byakuya knew what he needed to placate his bad humor: get some sleep. He could not go on for days without proper rest and expect to have his mind functioning in its best. Not only he was tired and unfocused as he was also having those daydreams in the middle of work.

 _What a pathetic little creature he had become after Rukia's collapse._

The fact that those memories would not leave him alone did not contribute to his humor. He hated them. _So fucking much._ They were slowly melting his resolve to let her go and wait for her to contact him.

After he saw her in the floriculture — he was sure it was her and not his mind playing tricks, after all that was the place where she used to buy the plants she decorated their home with — he recalled thousands of situations in which they had flowers around them.

He did not want to recall. In fact, the one who should be recalling those memories was not he himself, but Rukia. She should be the one to remember those happenings… And yet… There he was, with those poisoned memories that did him no good.

Looking at his mobile phone placed over his desk, he inhaled heavily. In one touch or voice command he would have the device calling for her. He wanted to hear her voice so desperately it almost hurt. The fact he had recalled how he had taken her that night and heard her sighing and chanting his name in the middle of those flowers did not help the tiniest bit.

… _Please don't look for me anymore…_

At the remembrance of her crying voice he stopped himself. No. He could not look for her. Not now. He should wait for her. Wait for her own time.

 _Ah fuck it!_

Who was he trying to deceive? Kuchiki Byakuya was never a man to follow other's command or pleas. He acted for his needs and own desires, he lived for himself only. No one stopped him from taking what he wanted before and Rukia was quite aware of that.

Yet… He was conscious that his rashness could spoil their damaged relationship beyond repair — as if it was not what happened already.

 _I hope you never recover your memories of us._

Be damned those memories.

He was the one to say those hurtful words for her; the one to expect... _hope..._ that she forgot him forever; to go on with her life without him, because he knew she would be better alone... Because he never made her happy in spite of her own words.

Were those her words? Or was it his mind playing tricks on him?

 _Pathetic_.

Kuchiki Byakuya, the businessman of the year, the Ice King, the man who conquered it all became a pathetic creature.

He placed his hand closed in a fist in the window when he heard his door being opened and the customary steps of his grandfather entering the room.

 _No..._

He could not be more wrong...

What Kuchiki Byakuya did not realize is that he had always been pathetic. It was Rukia who made him a better person

* * *

Rukia looked at her small car filled with uncountable plants and flowers and sighed.

She was happy.

At least she would fill Inoue's house with lively and lovely colors.

However, and only now she noticed as she fumbled with her wallet, there was a large sum of money in her bank account she did not recall from before.

She shook her head.

Well, it must be because she was married to one of the wealthiest men in Asia. Yet... He promised that day at the hospital he would not give her any money, even if he refused to cancel her unlimited black credit card and other commodities she was not comfortable having.

"Do you know my password?" she recalled having asked as he pulled his inky pen from his breast pocket and signed something for her.

At first she thought it was a bank check or something like that and was ready to reject it when she realized it was a password.

He frowned for a moment, but replied nonetheless.

"As you know mine."

Now, alone in her car, stuck in the traffic jam, she looked at the numbers his calligraphy so carefully wrote.

What was that sequence? It was not the old one, that much she knew, because it was related to the day Renji and she both entered one of the most acclaimed University of country — both with scholarships.

Now she did not know what those numbers meant. Gosh, she was not even sure she wanted to know.

Sighing, she looked at the millions of cars ahead and without much thought turned to the left. Ginza was a lovely place most of times, but the traffic at five p.m. was always horrible.

She ended in a street she did not recall, but at glancing behind, she noticed there was no way back, a line of cars followed her.

All she could do at the moment was to follow her instincts and keep driving.

When she last expected she was in front of a huge building, three towers pointing proudly at the sky. Squinting her eyes, she read the plaque.

 _Kuchiki Enterprises – Technology on education is our pride._

Her heart missed a beat as she realized the route she took lead her direct to her husband's workplace _and hers too_ , if the newspapers were right.

 _Media can be deceiving_.

Yes, he was right. But he was also wrong. She was a teacher, she was about to finish her Master's, she could not be that foolish. She did not believe media so easily, but she knew they did not always lie.

Stepping out of the car, she was surprised when a man appeared out of nowhere and bowed before her.

"Rukia-sama..."

Frowning, she bowed her head too, an uncertain smile upon her lips.

He outstretched his hand and with a blush she realized he was asking for her car keys. Her first reaction was to retreat her arm, but with a self-scold, she handed them to him.

"Thank you."

"It's good to see you back, Rukia-sama."

"Thank you," she muttered bowing once again.

Slowly, she made her way to the automatic glassy doors, being greeted all the way by other people who crossed her path.

Surprisingly, she did not have to identify herself as she walked past the ratchets, someone allowed her in immediately. Needless to say she was stunned to have access to the VIP lifter.

All the while people bowed to her and greeted her with genuine smiles and a warm _we are glad you are back, Rukia-sama,_ with its variations, happy, delighted, in peace, joyous and so many adjectives she did not thought of hearing before, not directed to her of course.

It did not matter she was wearing a Zara tube green dress — which was probably one of her cheapest gowns, no more than 10.900 yens — with dull leather boots — the hell she would put those impossibly high heels Inoue fetched for her; she could barely imagine herself wearing a 1 inch shoes let alone a 4 inches stilettos — and her hair was a mess because the fresh haircut was not molded yet.

People really seemed delighted to see her.

Gulping, she looked at her own image in the mirror. The face staring back at her was slimmer and tired. The fact she could not sleep without thinking of all those years she missed was affecting her badly.

For the first time she wondered what that handsome man had seen in her when he could have any other woman he wanted.

 _Sixth Floor — Presidency Headquarters_.

The robotic voice echoed in her ears. Rukia breathed deeply for a moment before stepping out.

She froze. A beautiful woman stood before her, looking as surprised as Rukia herself.

Then there was a deep bow and her voiced filled the empty corridor.

"Rukia-sama... I am happy to see you back."

There was silence from her part. She did not know how to reply. Who was that woman? An influential businessperson or part of the administrative staff?

"Come, _Shachō_ is in a meeting right now, but you can wait in his office."

"Can... Can I...?"

"Of course. You always did."

Rukia bit her bottom lip and followed the woman, questioning her mental health. She was crazy. Truly crazy to be there.

Gosh, she did not even know what she was doing as she entered the minimalist office.

"I will let him know you are here."

In an act of pure despair she held the woman's wrist and smiled weakly.

"Don't..." She gulped. "I shall wait until he is done."

The woman looked at her and smiled reassuringly.

"Would you like some coffee, Rukia-sama?"

"Only Rukia, please."

"We both know _Shachō_ will have me fired if I use informal speech with you, Rukia-sama."

She did not know if she should be shocked or... what. The woman had to be joking.

"No... I am fine. Thank you very much..." She pressed her lids together, trying to recall... trying to remember... "Nanao-san."

Bowing, the woman — now she knew her to be a secretary, her husband's secretary — closed the door behind herself.

Alone in the office, Rukia looked around, trying to calm her thunderous heart.

Honestly, she had no idea what she was doing there. What would she say when he came looking for her?

 _I'll look for you when I'm ready_.

She was far from ready!

Trembling out of nervousness, she walked around. The office was huge and minimalist, yet still classic. There were few furniture and they were mostly necessary. The desk had nothing but the notebook and the telephone. Nothing personal graced it.

Bracing herself, she stopped in front of a bookshelf and stared at the books there. Classics from all around the world were placed there and if not for their positions, she would say they were mostly untouched.

A gasp left her lips as she realized one of those belonged to her.

A book of the famous French author Albert Camus, _L'étranger_. Her favorite book ever.

Getting on her toes, Rukia pulled the tome to herself and opened it in the first page.

There it was. Chappy smiling back at her and her careless calligraphy.

 _To: Byakuya_

 _Hope you enjoy this as much as I did._

A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she caressed the front page.

Beside it, there was a portrait of her. The same picture that was the background of his mobile phone.

Placing back the book to its place, she picked the glassy portrait and looked intensely at it. She looked peaceful mounting the horse, the wind caressing her locks and messing it lightly. The sunset highlighted her features and only added to the ethereal landscape. In its verse she could see his calligraphy, the date _December, 2015._

 _Happiness is..._

There was nothing else. She was left with a frown. She was dying to know.

She wanted to recall everything... _him_... so badly it almost hurt...

No. She shook her head. She had to get out of there as soon as possible. She was in no condition to speak to him or whatsoever.

Placing the portrait back to the shelf, she opened the door, but stopped as soon as the person she saw was him.

Her eyes widened considerably.

"Rukia."

* * *

The small meeting between the two of them was going fine until Ginrei brought back his favorite topic: Rukia.

Byakuya tried to stick to the main topic, the creation of another direction under his command. His grandfather however, seemed more focused in his personal life.

"You have to look for Rukia. You can't let her go."

He remained silent.

There it was... His resolve melting once again.

How could he stick to his promise to let her go and live her life happily without him if everyone and everything tried to convince him otherwise?

No. He was not to get delusional and fall into those words. He was to be strong and unwavering as a hard rock in the midst of a sea tempest.

"Your past mistakes will not be erased if you try to amend my relationship." His reply was devoid of any emotion as he loosened his tie.

He felt so very much suffocated with that black tie around his neck, he could barely formulate a proper reply.

While he was a man who fancied looking perfect in any occasion, he just hated ties and how they seemed to limit his very moves. Instead, he would rather wear a scarf or a cravat.

There was a deadly silence after his sentence. He knew his grandfather was affected by his words and he wanted just that. There was no mother or whatsoever to butt in their relationship, but Ginrei would always demand certain behaviors of him that did not match his personality. How to treat Rukia, how to court her, how he should think more of her and how she deserved so much better.

He was giving her that. The chance to find someone better than him. To move on with her life.

In the very beginning it was funny how Ginrei protected her, how he cared for her... It was if he saw in Rukia the copy of his deceased daughter — the one he allowed to marry by love and that died under the care of the same greed man that was his son-in-law.

It was if he saw in Rukia his late wife, the one he neglected, because he was so much focused on building his Empire and striking his enemies.

But... What Ginrei did not realize was that Byakuya was not his grandfather. He was not a copy bound to repeat his failure.

"Foolish boy." His voice was hard for a moment. "I am not trying to fix my mistakes, I am helping you fix yours."

"You said she deserved better..." he let the rest of his sentence in the air.

"And do you think you can endure watching her happy with someone else... with Abarai or the Kurosaki boy?" He did not give him time to reply for he continued, "When did you become a coward, Byakuya?"

It seemed like ages passed before he could declare the meeting between both of them over and head back to the office. Before storming out of the room, he spoke, his voice as cold as ever,

"I will not discuss my personal life with you."

As soon as he opened the door, however, he saw the one who took over his thoughts for what felt like an eternity.

"Rukia..."

* * *

His heart missed a beat as he drank in her form. She seemed as restless as he.

And yet just so glorious.

There was not even a single moment in which Byakuya did not recall how it felt to hold her in his arms and hear her peaceful breath. He missed how they fitted perfectly; her head barely reaching his shoulders.

She had never been so out of his grasp, however. Not even when she was still in love with that loser ex-boyfriend of hers.

The first thing he noticed, besides her new haircut, was how surprised she looked, her violet eyes widened, as she stepped back.

He was silent for a moment, trying to recollect his thoughts as he closed the door behind himself, his grandfather and all of his earlier hours of decision to let her go far away from his mind.

"Kuchiki-sama."

Her shaky voice and formal speech made him close his eyes.

How he hated when she addressed him in such manner. As if he was a stranger, as if he meant nothing, which at the present moment was exactly the situation.

"Rukia." His own voice was deeper than customary, barely a hoarse whisper. His mind refused to believe she had looked for him so soon. Was it another daydream?

Rukia too surveyed his form. He looked... _miserable_. Last time they saw each other he had his face shaved, now three, almost four, days after, she could see the five o'clock shadow gracing his manly features.

She gulped. Guilty filled her being as she thought she was the reason he disregarded his appearance.

And yet... there he was, finely dressed in that indigo double-breasted suit, made of such expensive fabric, it could feed an entire family for months.

She moistened her lips, before biting them softly.

"I never thought you would like this suit when I chose it."

There was no answer from his part, but the way he lifted a perfect designed eyebrow, had her gasping.

"You remember...?"

There was something in his intonation that denounced he was pleased, but Rukia was so nervous, afraid, panicked even, that she could hardly pay attention to it.

"I am sorry... I shouldn't have come here... I..."

She just had to get out of there as soon as possible. Her head hurt now and she could not look at him without that creepy feeling, that irrational fear overcoming her body and mind.

Biting her bottom lip to the point of bruising it, she walked to the exit.

She seemed as much as frustrated as he was. He watched her walking to the door, wrapped in a green dress he had gifted her when she complained about feeling all too exposed in those clothes of wealthy people. Probably the first sign of kindness he had shown her. And how he had taken it away from her body in a rush the first time they had sex; they were in such a hurry they looked like inexperienced virgins.

And ultimately the same gown she was wearing the last time they made love in his car. It was so slowly and intense it still burned in the back of his mind. He undressed her as if she was the most fragile porcelain, about to become dust between his fingers.

His throat grew dry at the memories... memories she did not possess now and would probably never recall. Memories that would haunt him and him alone.

When she walked past him he held her arm, but did not turn to face her as he spoke,

"I never allowed you to leave."

* * *

The moment was rather awkward. His fingers still held her by the elbowand again it surprised her the sensation of his skin against hers was not a bother.

It was welcomed even.

Then it sunk in her. Rukia was not afraid of him, of his person... she was terrified because of the sensations he made her feel and the fact her body could react so strongly to him while her mind still portrayed him as a complete stranger.

"I should really..."

Her voice died in her throat as he guided her to the leather armchairs in his office.

She sat straight, her fingers tapping at her thighs uncomfortably as he walked to his desk and spoke to someone she quickly identified as his secretary.

"Ise-san, I shall not attend to anymore meetings today."

Rukia widened her eyes at it.

"I... There is no need. I have to lea..." She furrowed her brows as her vision became blurry for a second.

"Rukia."

He looked at her concernedly, taking his seat at the head armchair.

Her voice was shaky again as she whispered,

"I cried myself to sleep in this couch... I felt so hopelessly tired..." Her eyes widened at her words, "I am sorry... So sorry..."

There was a lump in his throat as he recalled that situation. There were several occasions in which he made her cry, true, but that time he was not the reason why she cried.

Rukia had just returned from the doctor and waited for him in his office, once again he was stuck in another meeting and could not go to her earlier. When he entered his room she was sleeping, her make up messed and her eyes puffed.

When he woke her up, she told him she was not pregnant as she had expected. For a moment he was dumbstruck, not really able to form a word.

It was the first time they discussed about children and the need for heirs.

He did not agree with her and surely did not see the reason for a child so soon, but Rukia was adamant, they should try. While he would love to, he convinced her that her health came first.

It was also the first time they made love.

Intense, bittersweet and heartfelt were the perfect words to describe that night as he held her in his arms in the throes of passion.

"I made you cry." He spoke with a cold intonation, surprised at his own lack of sensibility.

No... The voice in his mind said he was doing the right thing. He had to let her go.

He needed to.

"It was one of those times in which you did not behave as expected as the wife of a businessman."

She gasped, pained at his harsh words, her eyes burnt with the need to cry. She never felt so pathetic before. A woman like her who had seen that much in life did not cry over nothing and there she was... with a lump in her throat.

At each interaction of them, she realized that even though she may have loved him, it was surely not reciprocated.

It seemed she was only a source of shame for Kuchiki Byakuya.

All he had felt for her was disgust... Anger perhaps, but never love.

Would someone ever love her...?

Even Renji, her best friend and the man she thought she would love for the eternity, did not fight for her. He let her go and accepted her marriage to another man...

Rukia was sure was hell that if Renji said he would fight for her there was no way she would let go of him.

She looked at his handsome, composed face. His features denounced nothing. It was if he was not even a human being.

Her eyes closed as she asked, her heart breaking at the mere thought of receiving a yes as answer.

"Would you like to fill a divorce...?"

* * *

 **A/N – What will he answer?**

 **I enjoyed writing this chapter and I'm enjoying Remember very much. It's quite easy to write this fic and the tensions between Rukia and Byakuya. I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am.**

 **I know Byakuya was an ass this chapter and last chapter, but he thinks what he is doing is for the best, he thinks he is being altruistic letting her go, when, in fact, he is very much as selfish as ever. What do you think will have him changing his mind?**

 **I don't know yet. So I'm taking suggestions. Contrary to TDL and my other fics, I'm just going with my ideas at the moment I write, it's completely unplanned and free… and I'm enjoying it very much. I only follow my heart and the feeling I get while thinking of Rukia and Byakuya in this situation.**

 **The only thing I really planned is the ending, how I'm going to get there, I have no idea. I can even change that, the names of the chapters (it's all related to Disney's movies) and that most of the memories will come from Byakuya not from Rukia (you can't just remember everything in one day).**

 **10990 yens is like 110 USD, not that expensive, but not cheap either. I wouldn't pay 100 USD for a dress... In fact, I HATE shopping, so... you know, hehe. And I made a huge mistake in the first chapter, I said both of them have a Samsung Galaxy S7, but how come? The mobile phone was released March, 2016 and this fic is like in February now. So I fixed my mistake and said they have a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus. Forgive my mistake, please.**

 **If you haven't seen a dress by Yuki Torii, you should. Her Summer 2016 collection is just amazing. The gown I had in mind when I wrote this chapter was this one you can find in instagram** /p/8_zDC-tFyw/

 **Ah, my thanks to Ludmilla and Roberta who helped me with this chapter. Love you girls. Our talks help me quite a lot.**

 **I think that's all, guys. Leave me reviews if you feel like. Love reading your thoughts and if you want to interact with me you have my tumblr (velvetsins . tumblr . com) just replied a few asks this week or if you want, send me a PM, I may take a few days to reply, but I surely will.**

 **Take care and till next week (hopefully),**

 **Velvetsins.**


	4. Lady, the Tramp and the Prince

**As promised, here I am to update Remember.**

 **I'm still surprised at the response this story continues to get. And for that you have my deepest gratitude. Hope you continue to shower Remember with all your love. You are amazing guys.**

 **I finished my final paper today and I was like… Should I write or go to sleep? Then I was… Why not reread Remember and update? So you there have it xD Again, chapter not betaed and I just finished the last scene, so it may have a few errors**

 **Disclaimer: Kubo owns Bleach, I own this plot. All brands and places here mentioned are real and I don't own them.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Remember_

 **Chapter 4. Lady, the Tramp and the Prince**

* * *

Silence.

Complete and absolute.

He did not give her any answer for a moment.

"What makes you think I would give you a divorce?"

Her eyes went unbearably wide at his aloof tone, with a harsh edge to it.

It was... _Confusing_.

Rukia did not know what to think anymore. In one moment he was there treating her so coldly she thought their marriage was nothing but a lie — the newspapers and internet were surely lying — and in the next he was questioning her for asking for the divorce.

Wasn't it what he wanted? To get rid of her?

Before she could stop herself, the words slipped past her lips.

"Wouldn't you?"

Rukia expected him to be silent for a while as his customary, but he surprised her yet again when his deep voice sounded clear and imperative in the room.

"Why do you want the divorce?"

As if her eyes were not already big enough, they turned into two amethysts pools of complete surprise.

Rukia lowered her head and looked at her toes.

 _Did she...?_

Part of her told her it was for the best; her lack of memories would bring both of them pain and no matter how much of an ass Kuchiki Byakuya actedin their interactions she could not bear the thought of bringing him pain.

But... But a small part, an inconvenient part, screamed at her to stay. To fight for them even if he did not want to.

It was such a powerful part it made her head ache, it made her feel cornered and at its mercy.

Suddenly, the office seemed to suffocate her, his prowler eyes and powerful presence made her feel small, _insignificant_.

Her head felt like it was about to explode. Her heart beat so fast she thought it would leave her chest in the next second.

Rukia just knew she had to get out of there. She tried to stand up in her shaky legs but as soon as she turned on her heels to leave without a proper response — as if the lack of it were not enough — his authoritative voice echoed in the room.

"You are not allowed to leave."

She grew indignant. Pain forgotten, she looked at him out of the corner of her eyes and stated opening the door,

"I did not ask for your permission either."

However, before she could go away, an old and huge figure stopped her with a small, warm smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Ojii-sama!"

* * *

Rukia did not know what came over her to address the most powerful man of the country — aside the Prime Minister and Emperor of course — in such informal and invasive manner. Gaping, she brought her hand to cover her mouth, before almost falling to her knees and beg for forgiveness. She was just so dense!

"I am just so... so sorry, Kuchiki-sama!" She bowed deeply, not raising her eyes to face him as she mumbled her humble apologies, "Forgive my carelessness, Kuchiki-sama... I..."

There was a struggled sound that looked a lot like a chuckle. Her eyes widened once again. Was he not mad?

"There, there... There is no need for you to apologize, child." He touched her chin and forced her to look at him. In spite of his harsh appearance there was something soft in his eyes that looked so alike her husband's it made her shiver, "Do you know who I am?"

"Of course!" She was quick in her answer, "You are Kuchiki Ginrei, the owner of the Kuchiki Enterprises, the President of the most rentable technology-based compa...

Another chuckle, this time louder and spontaneous, interrupted her speech.

"I am just an old man, child and that position now belongs to that excuse of a husband you have."

"Ginrei-sama!" There was a hint of warning in her husband's deep voice.

"Come, child..." He thoroughly ignored his grandson, outstretching his hand for Rukia to take, "Would you mind accompanying this old man for dinner? I promise to take you home afterwards."

Rukia looked at the sky outside and noticed it was already night. How many hours have passed since she started talking with her husband?

"Ginrei-sama." Byakuya's tone sounded annoyed now, as if the last thing he wanted was for his wife to join his grandfather. It shot a sense of not belonging to Rukia who was about to decline the offer when the old man spoke for her,

"You are not invited, Byakuya."

* * *

"That's all you are good at, Abarai..." Her voice had a hint of venom in it, so palpable it made him flinch, "Nothing."

If it was a year earlier, he would probably shout at her, but due to her condition, he decided to bit his tongue and hold back his temper. Thankfully his baby girl was out, in her grandparent's house.

"She is a friend!" He ran his fingers through his vibrant red hair while he stared at Soi Fong all nude and angry before him. What he loved the most about her was the fact she was always confident and comfortable in her skin and no matter how much pounds she gained during pregnancy she was always proud of herself, as if she was the sexiest woman to walk the Earth. "A friend!" he repeated.

"A friend you wouldn't mind bedding once again!"

Renji sighed.

He was tired of his moody wife, he was tired of that loveless marriage and he was tired of their fights. For once in his life he wondered where he had his head when he decided to marry the rich heiress of that Chinese Empire.

 _Yes..._ He remembered it quite well. In fact, he still had a head _because_ he married her. Otherwise he would not have saved nor his head or his manly parts.

And exactly because he was thinking with his lower head he slept with her in that fateful night back in the USA.

She was so sexy and confident and so alike Rukia — so petite and with such a fiery stare —, whom he had lost to that playboy...

Even now he wondered why he had let Rukia go. A small voice inside of him told it was for the best and for the last two years he thought he did it was really for the best. She was happy, _in love..._ In love with the Ice King whom she had seemed to have melt.

The entire press talked about it. Kami above, he had seen it with his own eyes. The way she looked at him, the way she held onto him while they danced, the smile on her lips, the glint in her eyes. Everything about her screamed she was deeply in love with Kuchiki Byakuya.

 _A fairy tale come true_ , the newspapers said and for two years he believed it.

Now...

At that moment he was confident he could make Soi Fong happy. And he did, at least he thought he did.

But it was all gone.

Because they were back to Japan. While in China his wife did not contact the dark beauty she fell in love with when she was but a teenager.

Ah yes, the reason why he married her was not because she was pregnant after their one night deal — she could have aborted it easily and safely — it was because everyone thought she was a lesbian. What a scandal! The daughter of a rich entrepreneur dating and in love with another woman!

Renji was the perfect opportunity to change that.

A poor man on top of that. It was not difficult for her family along with the media to build their own fairy tale.

A relationship of two years... they were madly in love... she got pregnant so his family would allow their marriage... and a lot of bullshit Renji did not enjoy recalling.

What people did not know was that Soi Fong is bisexual. The dark beauty, Shihōin Yoruichi a long lost lover of hers, decided it was better for her to marry the genius scientist Urahara Kisuke.

Soi Fong was destroyed after that, escaped to the USA and so they met.

"...Stay away from her! It's an order!"

He did not hear what she talked about before, but as those words left her lips, realization hit him hard.

"Che! You are jealous!"

He laughed, a deep and strangled sound coming from his throat.

It was... _unbelievable!_

"Don't be ridiculous!"

She eyed him as if he had grown 30 heads and the glint in her eyes reminded him so much of Kuchiki Byakuya he wondered why the two of them were not married. They would be the couple of the century.

"I do not have time to such unworthy and useless feeling."

Part of him was glad Soi Fong was jealous, part of him did not enjoy it. After all they were the unhappy couple and Renji was so used to the feeling that the mere perspective of her actually being in love or something close to that to him shot a weird sensation to his core. It was as if his brain stopped working.

Yawning, he decided he was too tired to dwell in such questions; Soi Fong was bothered because it could end up with them in the front cover of tabloids, yes, he decided it was the reason.

"What are you doing?" she asked, pulling the blankets away from his body.

"Sleeping." He frowned. He was just so dense and careless!

"Are you not explaining yourself?"

Now, too tired to even argue with her, he rose from the bed and looked at her face as he stormed off of the bedroom.

 _I hate you!_ was the last he heard coming from his lips as a pillow crashed against the door — at least this time was a pillow.

* * *

He tried.

He really did. His grandfather, however, made it all more difficult, if that was even possible.

A sigh left his lips as he checked his wristwatch. Ginrei and Rukia were probably having dinner now, while he sat alone in his darkened office.

Nanao had left earlier that day, even before her due time because of personal issues. He was so deep in thought he barely acknowledged her presence when she stated she had to go, but that she would pay those missing hours later.

As if she did not work like crazy with him. As if she worked little.

Her schedule was just as insane as his.

If there was something he could never complain was about how hardworking and committed his secretary was.

He doubted he would ever find another assistant such as herself.

His laptop lay open and his emails unread. A bottle of aged sake which he never opened before was now almost at its end; his vision a bit blurry as he was not a man used to drink, not that much at least.

The new area he spent the last months working on together with Rukia had finally been approved by the ones under him, however, now Byakuya struggled with options as to who would fill the position.

Rukia was unaware of that, but both his grandfather and he thought of her. Not because she was his wife, but because they thought her capable.

He doubted she would quit being a teacher, but she could reduce her working hours and divide herself between the school and the office. There would be another person to help her and all the staff under her.

People loved her, so it would not be difficult to convince the board of directors of it.

 _But now..._

Now she did not recall the last years, could not even recall what she had been studying!

He thought about giving the position to Kensei, but Kensei would bring together Mashiro and Hisagi and only Kami could understand how he could care about Mashiro and tolerate her. They were probably the loudest people he had ever known, aside from Rukia's friends.

There was still some time; he would find someone suitable for the position. He was sure of that. Perhaps Rukia would remember by the deadline.

 _Rukia..._

He wondered what had overcome her to ask if he wanted the divorce. It was far from what he wanted.

Right at the moment he saw her at his office all his hopes of her recalling him started anew, but he had to be realistic. _No._ He had to be pessimistic even and crush her every ounce of confidence.

He had to crush _his_ every hope.

As much as he wanted to hold her close and breathe in her scent, sliding his fingers between her raven locks, he knew that he had better let her go.

If there was something that he had been thinking for the last month, since her collapse, or even before if he was to be honest with himself, was that she deserved so much better than him.

Kuchiki Byakuya, the man who was good at everything was not good enough for his young wife. She was... like a _sunshine_ in his _clouded_ life.

A miracle.

And he loved her.

He ran his fingers through his hair and leaned against his chair. His head ached and he knew next morning his hangover would be unbearable.

 _You should never drink that much if you are not eating, Byakuya-sama._

She was always so worried about his eating habits. Sometimes she would starve herself and wait for him to have dinner, so he would not be able to say no to her and would eat something himself.

He loved that about her. How she cared about him even when he cared so little about her.

Pathetic! He was pathetic.

Now he finally understood. He was not pathetic because he thought so much about her and because he felt hopeless without her... He was a pathetic creature because he loved her and never once told her about it. Or showed enough.

 _Would it make any difference?_ A voice inside his head mocked him.

 _No_.

He knew it would not. She would not remember him all the same.

But at least... At least he would know that he treated her as she deserved and would not feel a complete bastard at the thought of fighting for her.

And he wanted so bad to fight for her.

Every fiber of his body wanted to go after her and hold her close and never let go. Start anew, make her fall in love with him all over again.

But... He knew he would be a complete bastard if he did it. He already monopolized her heart for almost three years, it was not right to keep on doing that.

If now she did not recall him and therefore did not love him, he should let it remain that way forever.

Closing his eyes, he drifted to sleep sitting in that uncomfortable position.

Next morning he hoped he felt so bad he would not have a chance to think about Rukia.

* * *

"Ask what you may, child." The old man almost smiled at her. His regal face denounced he was not a man prone to smiles, which made the gesture all the more comforting.

Rukia stopped halfway with the chopsticks directed to her mouth.

"I..." She gulped. "I..." She was afraid of the answer, but she had to know. "My father... Did you... Did you..."

"If I knew him?" He offered kindly. "Yes, I did. Jūshirō-san was an old friend of mine."

The lump returned to her throat. It still hurt to talk about her father; he was her everything once and now...

"Do not worry, child," he said, filling her glass with more water. "He left this world peacefully."

Her eyes fluttered close at his words. There was not much of a choice if she wanted to remain calm and avoid tears.

"I just..." The need to cry everything she had not for the death of her beloved father was so great she had to change the topic, "Were you close? How did you meet?"

Ginrei's face softened at her crying voice and pitiful attempt to change topics. He complied with her wishes nonetheless.

"Back at school, when he received a scholarship." He paused to drink his water. Even of Rukia insisted he could have something alcoholic he decided to accompany her. Always the gentleman. "He was a smart kid, but too weak, kids used to bullyhim..."

"You protected him..."

He was silent for a moment, as if reminiscing the old times.

"I taught him how to protect himself."

His stern confession had Rukia chuckling; all the bad thoughts long forgotten. It was nice to talk to someone who knew her father so well.

It seemed like they went on for hours and hours before the waiter approached them and asked if they wanted anything else. Rukia knew she should not but she craved for a dessert.

"We became so close and attached we promised we would have our families reunited in a marriage one day."

Rukia's eyes widened at his last sentence.

"We were betrothed before we were born?"

He nodded.

"You were not even born at the time my son, Sojun, was born..." He shook his head, "Not even before Byakuya was born..."

She was dying to know more of that, but truth is, she was afraid to ask. _To know._ In the back of her mind she did not remember her father telling her she was betrothed before or that he knew Kuchiki Ginrei and his grandson.

So how did they meet again and how did they get together?

There was no time to voice those questions for soon the waiter returned with traditional _sata andagi_ for both of them.

"It was his favorite," he observed, leaning against the seat. His fingers tapped the arms of the chair and it did not take her too long to spot a huge U in one of his rings.

"Is it..." the question died in her throat.

"Yes." He nodded. "He left it for me at his passing. I shall give it to you if that is what you want..."

"No!" She was quick in her dismissal. "I just... I miss him," she admitted with her voice low and filled with a strong emotion.

Rukia pressed her eyes together for a few seconds; the need to cry was overwhelming.

"Have you been to the cemetery?"

"No..." Her voice was weak. "And I am afraid that if we continue talking about him I will cry." She chuckled.

"You don't have to be strong at all times." His sentence surprised even himself, for he was such a strict man all his life that if he was a few years younger he would probably have thought Rukia was a weakling, disposable girl.

"I know... But you may see me as a fool. My hus..." She cut herself short and corrected herself, "Kuchiki-sama must think the same and I don't blame him. I have never cried so much." To ease the heavy atmosphere she joked, "I think I am a fool!"

Her words only seemed to harden his face. He looked dead serious when he spoke again,

"Byakuya may be a fool..." His tone was tired. "He is a fool, but he loves you."

His confession shocked her. From all people she did not expect the man who seemed to rule his empire and family with an iron fist to openly say his grandson loved her, _a nobody._

"I am a nuisance."

"No." He was firm. "Byakuya is the one with a bad habit of making people believe they are a nuisance."

There was silence for a moment. Rukia fidgeted, looking down. Talking about her handsome husband made her feel uneasy.

"I raised him too harshly," he admitted, his voice heavy. "His parents died too early and as the heir to my Empire he could not be treated as a normal child."

Rukia was on the edge of her seat now. No matter how much she wanted to dismiss that, she was curious to know more about her husband.

"I was afraid I could die at any moment..." he continued in a low tone. "I had to prepare him for any eventuality. In the end he just became a spoiled and proud brat who thinks he can control everyone and everything."

Rukia busied herself with her dessert as he spoke the next words.

"It's my fault he is treating you so poorly."

"No," she said. "It is no one's fault." Her brows furrowed; she could barely believe she was defending him. It only made the lump in her throat unbearable. She could hardly believe she felt so strongly about him. _But why I can't remember him...?_ "I... want so desperately to remember him I..."

Her eyes were so very much widened now. Ginrei looked at her with interest.

"I think we should go..."

Noticing her discomfort, Ginrei motioned for the waiter to approach and asked for their bill.

"Of course, child."

* * *

 _ **The Princess without memories**_

 _When we think our royal couple cannot surprise us anymore come the news of the year: Kuchiki Rukia, the country's most beloved child, also known as the Queen who melted the Ice King, lost all her memories of the last years, which include her husband._

 _A reliable source confirmed that last night she had dinner with Kuchiki Ginrei and the following words left her lips: '_ I want so desperately to remember him I...'

Renji growled as he read the first two paragraphs of Lady Lisa's column.

 _That insufferable bitch! How dare she?_

The writer seemed to have a thing with Rukia and the bastard Kuchiki Byakuya. Whenever she could she would distillall her venom over them and their relationship. If Renji did not know better he would think she was once in love with the cold hearted man.

He almost threw the magazine aside, but his other option was to face Soi Fong across the table. There mere thought made him lose his hunger.

 _No wonder the last few weeks, since she left the hospital, we have not spotted them together and absolutely could not interview the Princess._

 _She lost all her memories due to a stroke. It's not possible to say she will recover her memories, remember him... But it seems the Princess is in much despair as we are._

 _She loves him desperately, it is clear in the way she struggles to remember him. Now we must ask ourselves, does he deserve to be recalled?_

He would say he hated the writer at first, but now he could not say he disagreed with her.

In fact, he thought Rukia was crazy for ever feeling something for that son of a bitch. He was far from the lovable type and from the way he spoke to her that day at the hospital and how Rukia kissed him...

Renji was still unaware on why he denied her. It felt wonderful to have her soft lips against his once again.

He longed to have her in his arms again, not because they matched in bed, but because he was still foolishly in love with her.

Seeing her, holding her and kissing her again reminded him why he chose to stay away from her all those years.

Shaking his head, he finished the last paragraph.

 _Now to the guessing part: will she remember him or is this the end of our preferred fairytale?_

 _Is this how we lose our faith in destined love?_

"Destined love my ass," he muttered under his breath. It made Soi Fong snap her head to look at him.

Her eyes bore into his for a moment, before she shrugged.

"Be ready... my lawyer wishes to speak with you."

At the mention of the lawyer, Renji dismissed every thought of Rukia.

 _Che! Who knew this day would come get us!_

He should be miserable, he knew... but he was relieved. Not happy, he knew it would be traumatic for his baby girl, but wasn't it already?

Those endless fights of them were only damaging his baby girl in a way he could only imagine. Perhaps if her parents went their own way and focused on their own lives instead of making their marriage and home a living hell she would be ok. Not happy, but happier than she was right now.

And if there was a Princess Renji would love more than Rukia — he knew he never loved Soi Fong as he loved _his midget_ — it was his daughter, his baby girl, Ichika.

Scratching his head, he left the magazine over the table and trailed after her, the eyes of the servants following them close behind.

* * *

If there was someone Byakuya could surely say he hated, it was that meddlesome writer, Yadomaru Lisa. It was sickening how she enjoyed talking about his life that much.

It bothered him even more she involved Rukia, who had nothing to do with it.

He wondered if there was a reason why she hated him so much and there it was... A few years back, he denied her an interview for the newspaper she worked at. The poor intern got fired and so her hatred for him reached unbelievable levels.

Of course he could have her fired again or shut her mouth, but his grandfather tried once and it ended up the bad way. Their stockhit the lowest level ever.

Actually, it seemed whenever the stockhit low levels it was usually related to Lady Lisa, as the sufferable woman named herself.

He was now in crossfire. Battlefield. The major shareholders demanded of him to go public and apologize for his lack of transparency — they clearly said his private life should be an open book for everyone. His grandfather heavily disagreed with that and actually demanded of him, through messages, to find Rukia and apologize immediately for something he had not even done. Did he have any idea how difficult it was for someone as proud as Byakuya to apologize? Even more when his grandfather himself was the cause of such ruckus.

But of course the always polite Ginrei had apologized already.

He was reading the uncountable messages he received since that morning, most of them coming from her friends expecting an explanation — as if he owned them or would ever give one. The annoying Kurosaki Ichigo had to be blocked, for Byakuya thought his migraine was going to get him after hearing the stupid boy call him for the umpteenth time that day.

Now the shareholders even asked of him to bring Rukia to the public and state that regardless of her current situation, they were still deeply in love and would continue with their happy fairytale.

What would they say if they knew she asked for the divorce? He bet his company would be on verge of bankruptcy if he accepted her offer.

And that he actually gave it some thought. In fact, he was very much inclined to let her go.

 _Pathetic_.

He was pathetic.

As much as he was sure she would be better off without him, part of him — his controller, selfish, possessive and proud half — still held onto her.

As if keeping that marriage that hurt her to beyond measures would secure his happiness.

The worst part it was not total bullshit.

Byakuya had never known what was happiness in his life — having lost both his parents at the tender age of seven, he could barely remember what it was to be genuinely happy, aside from the ingénue tales of sweet infancy and later on being trained to be the perfect chairman; his grandfather showered him with very little affection —, the closer he came to experiment it was with Rukia.

And now it was gone it left such a bittersweet taste in his mouth...

Looking at the people around him only strengthened his decision.

He must let her go.

* * *

"Was my married life this..." She paused, looking for the best words.

Inoue, who had her mouth full of rice and fish, spoke cheerfully, "Exciting?"

"Rubbish?" Ichigo offered, getting a scowl from both Ishida and Tatsuki.

"I'd say troubled."

Her friend cleaned the sides of her mouth and barely held a yawn; she was just coming from her night shift and yet decided they should gather for breakfast and enjoy the first hours of Saturday.

"Yes..." She smiled sympathetically. "But you always held yourself together so well, it didn't seem to bother you, Kuchiki-san."

"Not like she had much of a choice, being married to whom she was," Ishida spoke for the first time while they had breakfast. He put one more spoonful in his mouth and spoke delighted, "this is truly good, Kuchiki-san!"

She felt like asking if they thought he was so horrible, but the answer was crystal clear. And for the heavens what was wrong with her? Why was she finding so many excuses for his behavior? In any other occasion she would find him utterly disgusting.

Did her feelings for him were that strong? If they were... When and mainly why she fell in love with someone who was clearly not her type?

 _Crazy_...

"Thanks..." she muttered uncertain; her food has always been questionable, not as much as Inoue's, but she knew she was far from the best.

"Those classes made your skills skyrocket!" Ichigo commented as he shoved two spoonful of rice inside his mouth.

"Did they?" She had her head lightly inclined. "When?"

 _Why?_

Ichigo had always been the first to say her food was not edible, purely rubbish. To watch him contradicting himself and actually praising her was pretty much unnerving.

"Ouch!"

He let out as soon as his head was hit by Tatsuki's fist.

"Can someone have such a useless friend such as yourself, Ichigo?"

"What did I do?" He rubbed his sore head. Tatsuki would kill him one of these days.

Silence made itself present in the room.

"Sorry..." Inoue muttered; her appetite lost.

"For what?" Rukia whispered back, as if afraid to break the atmosphere.

"You took..." Inoue started, a small smile on her mouth, "Cooking classes for your husband was not... so pleased with your cooking skills."

There was silence again in the room.

"That was probably the only time I agreed with him."

Kurosaki, Kurosaki-kun and Ichigo were heard in the room in unison as he once again touched his head and grimaced at Tatsuki.

"That was rude even for you, Kurosaki!" Ishida used his fingers to adjust his glasses.

"No..." Rukia laughed. It was good to have Ichigo and his lack of sensibility back. "He is right."

"Speaking of him..." Tatsuki started, pointing to the magazine. "Have you looked for him?"

Rukia's first reaction was to lie, even if she did not know why. She just... She just did not want to tell them she was on verge to get divorced because there was no ounce in her husband that told her he was somehow in love with her. Or that she was even important or that he actually cared for her.

As it seemed, she was nothing but a nuisance in his life, something he was eager to get rid of and her actual state gave him the best opportunity.

"Did he call you to apologize for this bullshit?" Ichigo pointed the magazine angrier than she had ever seen.

"It is not his fault..." She spoke, still unable to understand why she was defending him. "He was not even there..."

 _Yes..._ That was her reason, she told herself for the umpteenth time. He was far, locked up in his office, away from her and his grandfather. How could he have known...?

"Why are you so keen to defend him? You can't..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Tatsuki lost her temper and dragged him out of the dining room.

From their places, all of them could hear she saying,

"I'm gonna kill you, Ichigo!"

A sigh left her lips, as much as she was glad to have that normalcy back — Ichigo was spanked twenty times a day, if not by her, it was by Tatsuki — she felt weird about their protectiveness around her as if recalling something related to her husband would bring such pain she would not be able to deal with — as if the fact of not remembering was not painful enough already.

Rukia was about to go after them when her mobile phone received a call.

She gasped as she saw the incoming caller.

 _Kuchiki Byakuya_.

Trembling, she rose from the chair and without further explanations, she left the room.

* * *

"Hello?" She answered him in a low and small tone.

" _Rukia."_ The deep voice on the other line had her shivering.

How could he affect her so much by only calling her name? What was this witchery he exerted over her?

"Y-Yes..." she closed her eyes and breathed in slowly. It was not the time to stutter. "Yes."

" _Are you free today_?"

"Excuse me?"

As there was no answer on the other line, she bit her bottom lip and corrected herself.

"Yes... Why?"

Her lids were closed as she realized she was probably being rude.

" _Meet me in the Nogizaka Uoshin Restaurant in Minato-ku."_

 _Our favorite restaurant..._

A gasp left her lips at the tiny memory. She always only recalled small, unmatched pieces that made little sense to her.

She got herself wondering about the cooking classes mentioned by Ichigo. Did he hate her food that much?

 _No_...

That was the wrong question.

Did she value his opinion so much she looked for cooking classes? How much did she love him?

Was it such a strong feeling?

" _Rukia..."_ His deep although low voice brought her back from her musings.

"W-What for?"

There was silence from his part which allowed her to calm her racing heart and mind.

It was useless though. As soon as he spoke, it was crazy all over again.

" _To discuss our divorce."_

* * *

It was exactly six p.m. when Rukia left the Nogizaka Station and hurried in the middle of the flow of thousands of people to cross the Avenue and reach the rustic restaurant.

As her feet approached the place, she let her pace die a bit and stare at the building in wonder. She had been there once with Renji, but they were fighting and there was not much else she could recall. She thought she hated that restaurant since then.

What an odd choice... The place surely did not suit him and certainly he did not enjoy the carnival aura that emanated from its surroundings. Someone such as Kuchiki Byakuya did not look like the type of man to be seen in a place relatively cheap — if compared to the other restaurants that also offered fresh sushi in Tokyo.

And it seemed she was well known in there, judging by the way one of the waitresses waved for her.

Unsure of what to do, she looked for her husband, unable to spot him anywhere.

"Rukia..." His deep voice sounded behind her, which made her turn to face him a bit startled.

There he was. All dressed in a gray suit that matched his eyes, wearing a white dress shirt fully buttoned, the collarsand cuffsembroidered in a rich pattern of gray cherry blossoms that would look too out of place in a man of his mien, but that seemed just perfect on him; no tie graced his neck, giving him a casual look.

Looking down, she felt her cheeks burn at the intensity of his stare, he seemed to be drinking in her appearance as well. How inconsiderate and rude of her!

"I am..." Why did it always seem so hard to talk to him? "I am sorry for my lateness..."

He did not speak anything as he entered the restaurant and walked to a distant table. Some people looked at them, but most quickly returned to their business.

Rukia was uneasy when he pulled the chair for her and took his seat across from her. For a few minutes they just stared at their menus in silence. Or so Rukia liked to think while she looked for the best words to start a conversation.

When one of the waiters approached them, she had no clue on what to order. She bit her bottom lip as he openly stared at her as if she was a stranger being. Then, still staring at her, he ordered the food for both of them and closed the menu.

"I…" Rukia frowned. She did not understand what exactly she was supposed to feel at his gesture. Mad he had taken her choice away? Happy he knew what she liked to eat? Or a mixture of both of them? Or even ashamed she lost herself in thoughts of him and did not really look at the menu? "How was your day?"

Her sudden change of topic had both stunned, not that Rukia would know that once nothing was visible in his handsome face. Byakuya recovered from his state of surprise quickly and as he responded, she was the one surprised.

"Chaotic."

The sincerity in his tone had her lowering her head.

Lady Lisa's column was not the only thing she had read during the day. _The Wall Street Journal Asia_ mentioned something about the stocks hitting the bottom line that afternoon after the scandalous of her losing her memories.

"Look, I am so—

"I apologize for the inconvenience that woman's column may have caused you," he cut her off, surprising her once again.

Rukia blinked a few times completely stunned.

She could not really know for sure, but she thought — and also thought she was probably right — he was not a man prone to apologies. Or used to apologize to anyone for that matter. He was the businessman of the year for five years. One of the most desired man of the country, or the world — she would dare to say as she caught a few foreign women looking at him unabashedly. _Ogling_ actually.

The Nogizaka Uoshin Restaurant was famous for being a meeting point of foreigners living in Japan, or even tourists, considering how traditional and harmonic the restaurant looked. The aura was inviting and it was impossible to feel unhappy in such a place.

"It was not your fault," she spoke after a while, sighing in relief when the waiter came back carrying a tray with sushi, sashimi and sunomono.

There was no response from his part as he placed his bowl of sunomono in front of her.

"What?" she asked, unable to understand his gesture. "You… Don't you like sunomono?"

"It is your favorite."

And just like that, he was back to being silent again and started eating. She looked at him for a moment, unable to understand his demeanor; a warm sensation reaching her heart. When he raised his eyes and focused his attention on her, she blushed and busied herself with her chopsticks. For a while both of them enjoyed the fresh fish while waiting for the cooked food to be served.

Whenever he was not looking at her, or his eyes where somewhere else, Rukia took the opportunity to stare at him and analyze him.

He was just so silent.

How could they maintain a relationship and be actually happy if he did not talk to her? Or he did? It seemed he had a certain sense of humor, assuming her blue folder was right. No… It was. Those were not newspapers clipping or something like that, those were her notes, _her memories…_

Then the waiter was back and asking if they did not want something alcoholic to drink. Rukia dismissed it quickly and Byakuya shook his head after her.

"You can drink if you want."

"I am driving," he replied flatly.

Rukia bit her bottom lip at her own stupidity. Of course he was. The almighty Kuchiki Byakuya would never get the subway to get there. She could not even imagine him using public transportation to get there.

What car did he have? A Rolls-Royce Wraith which cost more than her whole year salary? Almost five years if she was to be keen on her counts. He was so stupidly rich it made her feel uneasy and all the more suspicious on why he chose that restaurant to discuss their divorce.

"How did we come to this restaurant? It doesn't seem to suit someone such as yourself."

"No," he agreed and stopped eating. "It does not suit someone such as myself." He copied her words, making her blush in embarrassment. She had been so… clueless by saying that.

She even opened her mouth to apologize, but then the waiter was back and her husband was paying the bill before she could say she had enough money to pay for her part, or for both of them for that matter.

"We used to come here frequently," he spoke and rose from his seat. Rukia followed him out of the restaurant. The chilly night breeze greeted them, forcing her to wrap her arms around her torso. If she had known it would be that cold later, she would have worn a warmer coat.

Her action did not go unnoticed by Byakuya who disposed of his blazer and put it over her shoulders, watching how adorable she looked with her tinted cheeks.

"Come…" He looked at her deciding whether or not to fix the coat over her frame, but restrained himself from touching her. Only Kami could know what he would possibly do if his skin brushed against hers. "I will drive you home."

* * *

"Thank you for today, Kuchiki-sama."

"Byakuya," he corrected, his voice somehow softer as the name slipped past his lips.

Rukia felt her heart fluttering at the thought of calling him by the birth name. She wanted so badly to try it and be more close to him, but… but then she recalled the reason why they had dinner together and why she was currently in his car, parked in front of Inoue's apartment.

Yes, his car was a Rolls-Royce Wraith. A purple Rolls-Royce Wraith. She recalled that when he opened the door for her — a true gentleman — she asked of him if he was not the owner of a Chrysler 300C. Again, he eyed her with interest and said that yes, he indeed had one, that he mostly used for work. She then bit her bottom lip. It seemed he had not only one car, but several. Just how wealthy that man was?

Now they were looking outside and Rukia could not help but feel herself being filled with a profound sadness and emptiness at the realization.

"What do you want to discuss about our divorce?"

And then, as if she had broken the spell, his eyes were back to that unreadable color of them and his voice was deep and harsh and so emotionless it made her shudder.

"What would be your terms?"

"I don't know…" she spoke; he surely caught her off guard. What should be her terms? She had never been divorced before, how could she know the best terms. What did he mean by terms after all? She was not a gold digger about to strip him off of his clothes. She wanted nothing of him, all she wanted was to remember him and what they had.

At that point she did not care if the memories would bring her pain or not. She just wanted to remember him so desperately her head ached.

The idea of getting divorced made her _heart_ ache.

"Why?" she asked in a small voice. "Why do you want a divorce?"

"Isn't that what you want?" he asked back, making her blink furiously in utter confusion.

"I don't know what I wish…" she admitted, her voice broke together with her heart.

She did not know what she could possibly wish. At first she thought the divorce was what he wanted and she was willing to go through it for him, but then she wanted to fight for their marriage and now she was confused. Why was he saying that that was what she wanted when he was the one to make her believe he was desperate to get rid of her?

Kami above, that man was so confusing!

She did not know what to think or to feel near him anymore.

"It is for the best, Rukia," he assured her and prepared to leave the car and open the door for her. However, before he could even place his hand on the car door handle, her hand was over his.

His grayish eyes locked on her violent ones. He quickly looked at her hand holding him and back at her eyes. The electric shock wave perpassing their bodies was not felt only by him.

"Were we that unhappy?" she asked again, repeating the same question of the hospital. Her eyes were so sorrowful he felt like touching her and kissing her and holding her to reassure her of his feelings.

He could never be unhappy with her.

Those years were the best of his life.

But he reminded himself it was for the best. If they broke apart she could be actually happy, happier than she had ever been with him.

"It is for the best," he repeated, contradicting himself in his aversion for saying again what he had already said once.

As the words reached her ears, Rukia released his arm and asked in a small, but tired voice.

"Best for whom?"

"For you," he quickly replied.

It would _never_ be a good resolution for him.

"I…" Rukia tried, but the words died on her mouth. She bit her bottom lip and stared at his eyes. "Whatever it is… I don't need your protection. I…"

Her breath hitched as his thumb was on her lower lip, preventing her from biting it all over again. Her eyes fluttered shut on their accord.

"Yes, you do." He continued to caress her lip, holding his very urges to replace his fingers with his lips. He ached to touch her again and even the briefest kiss would do. "It would be wrong of me to hold onto you."

Yes.

That was it.

He was doing it for her.

It was really for the best.

He knew he loved her, but to truly love someone meant he needed to set them free. Or so he heard. A man as possessive as Byakuya would never be content with that bullshit. He was pursuer and he when he married Rukia he had every intention of pursuing her. Pursuing her body, her mind, her _soul…_

And he did pursuit all of that. She was _his_ and be damned all the social conventions, he did not want to let her go. Even now with her memories lost, he loved how she melted into his touch, how she trusted him and wanted to hold onto him… If it was his choice he would never let her go. He would make her fall in love with him all over again, but Byakuya knew better than that. He knew it was not about him, it was about her and how her life could be so much better if he was not in it.

"It would selfish of me to hold onto you," he spoke and released her, leaving the car before she could speak anything. He opened the door for her and accompanied her to entrance of the apartment house.

She removed his blazer and gave it to back him, their fingers only brushing because she did it on purpose.

"My lawyer shall meet you to discuss the terms of the divorce," he was already looking back to his car. He had to get out of her sight before he did the unthinkable and acted on his true wishes.

However, before he could go anywhere, her voice stopped him.

"You got it all wrong." She shook her head, unable to decide whether to cry or laugh. "You are not being altruistic by divorcing me."

He was dumbstruck for a moment. After what felt like hours, he looked at her over his shoulder, expecting her to continue, the blazer crumpled between his fingers.

"You are actually being utterly selfish by letting me go without knowing if that's what I truly want."

"And what do you want, Rukia?"

The were no dramatic pauses this time as she whispered, her heart put in a plate for him to either cherish it or to crush it thoroughly.

"To remember you."

* * *

 **A/N – I'm so sleepy here I have not that much to tell you today.**

 **As I said, I finished my final paper (part of it, for the next year I still have many readings and more writing and proofreading and all – academic writing can be such a pain in the ass sometimes), but I still have one more exam left and I have to get my grades before I start to focus back on my fanfics. For next week, I will do my best to have The Duke's Lover updated, so I don't really know if there will be any update for Remember next week ok?**

 **And I know I said this fic would focus on Byakuya and Rukia rather than a huge plot (DCYH, TDL and MM are all plot-based) and here you have Soi Fong and Renji… Yes, I know… But Renji was a part of Rukia's life and is back to Japan… Also like I did with IchiHime (making Orihime move on) I want to do with RenRuki. RenRuki as canon was totally believable in the sense they had a long story together, but the moment Renji allowed Rukia to go, he lost her. From that day onwards, even if I saw Renji's feelings for Rukia, for me it was totally one sided. Don't know what you think, but… I think she saw in Renji more of a brother than she would ever see in Byakuya.**

 **Not saying that because I'm a ByaRuki shipper, or because they had something going on between them, or that I saw any indication they would be a couple. It's purely because I saw they liked each other and cared for each other, but not in a way a sibling would care. Don't know if it was carnal love (doubt it), there was a feeling there I cannot exactly define, but that was not a fraternal one.**

 **And to everyone who favorited/followed/made me reach almost 2k of views in 3 chapters and reviewed my last chapter, my biggest thanks. Loved each of your reviews and laughed really hard at some of them. Please, don't hate Byakuya, he is not being a jerk on purpose (sometimes he is). He just feels that being cold is the best way to handle the situation.**

 **So… as I don't think he would change his mind if Rukia did not show she wanted something to do with him… I decided to make her kick some sense into him this chapter. Liked it? Hated it?**

 **Now… it's your turn, tell me what you thought of this chapter. I'll be eagerly waiting your reviews.**

 **Love you,**

 **Velvetsins**


	5. We are all a bit of Pinocchio

**Hello, beloved readers! xD**

 **As promised, here I am to update Remember. I had some trouble writing this chapter. I was highly insecure of my writing because of the positive response this story continues to get. You guys are amazing, but sometimes I fear I cannot keep up with your expectations. I know it's stupid, but well… It happens xD**

 **So, here you have** We are all a bit of Pinocchio. **To the guest who said that would love me if I update on December 9** **th** **, I hope you still love me now 9 days later hehe. To everyone who reviewed last chapter (** JoTerry, onlyluna, Guest, Guest, noblepride, RukiaTif, Guest, Kiti4life, Guest, Guest, Obsessed Dreamer, inlovewithaduke, Guest, byakuyalover, RED, Guest, Guest, Guest, Guest and scarletblackdies **),** **my biggest thanks. I loooooved every review and you guys are really amazing. I address some of your reviews in the second AN, so make sure to read it xD**

 **This chapter is not betaed and I just finished it, so you know…**

Shachō means President.

Shōji is a translucent door made of rice paper.

Chichiue is a formal/old way of calling a father.

Ojii-sama is a formal/respectful way of calling a grandfather.

 **Disclaimer: Kubo owns Bleach, I own this plot. All brands and places here mentioned are real and I don't own them.**

 **Warning: OOCness.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Remember_

 **Chapter 5. We are all a bit of Pinocchio**

* * *

 _She placed her fingers upon her lips at the remembrance of his warm, possessive touch._

 _For a man who did not like her — who could barely stand the very sight of her and if she were to be honest it was completely reciprocal, of course — his kiss — their very first kiss — showed more than his harsh words would ever convey._

 _Rukia shook her head and looked at her own image in the mirror. The maids had just left the room she was supposed to spend her wedding night with her husband. Alone, she could not help but think of how much time it must have taken to plan and execute the whole decor of the bedroom. It was beautiful._

 _The entire Kuchiki Compound was completely breathtaking, huge and intimidating. Very befitting. She looked at the_ shōji _doors that lay opened, showing the way to the gardens and could not help but hold her breath at the sight of the beautiful moon reflected in the almost frozen lake._

 _She returned her attention to her own reflection. She looked beautiful… No._ Gorgeous. _The red, translucent gown barely reached her knees, the hems covered in white embroidery that gave a delicate touch to the sensual nightdress. That piece only probably cost more than her monthly salary. If the formal kimono she wore to the religious ceremony in the shrine and later the white high branded dress that embraced her body during the party were of any indication…_

 _In spite of the fact she was no virgin, she could not help but feel nervous at the thought of being in another man's arms. She had only been with Renji before and Renji before being her lover was her friend. She felt safe with him._

Renji…

 _She touched the gold band ring on her left hand and thought back of her ex-boyfriend. She was about to propose to him when Kuchiki Byakuya untimely arrived in her life. And if not for Renji's cowardice, the ring that would probably be gracing her finger right now would be his. Not as expensive, but at least it would be a gesture coming from the heart._

Renji…

 _Her mind did not remain on him though. They diverted to the man who kept her company the whole day. From his intimidating posture to his heartless words, his exuded power from his pores._

 _His very kiss denounced how he liked to exert his power over everyone. She could not help but think how he would be in bed. She shuddered at the mere thought of his lips upon her skin._

 _And no matter how much she knew she should feel disgusted — for taking pleasure in such an act would make her no better than a cheater, the same could be told about him, as far as she understood, he also had a lover — she could not deny she was attracted to him._

 _Oh, she did in the past. She did that very night when she responded to his kiss. She tried to tell herself it was only natural to kiss him back, not that she felt butterflies dancing in her stomach or that his fingers intertwined in her raven locks, tilting her head to better access, was totally related to how weak her legs seemed._

 _And the way their lips locked perfectly in the after party, when he took her without warning in front of all the photographers, only proved he was not as unaffected by her as he stated to be._

Liars… _They were both liars._

 _Rukia lied so much to herself, she even labeled his kiss as a mere kiss. She undoubtedly thought his kiss was not as good as Renji. That he could not make her feel as Renji did._

 _Her eyes went wide as she saw, through the mirror, the very figure of her husband entering the bedroom. Contrary to her, he did not change his clothes. He was still clad in the tuxedo, the coat long done and as well with the black tie, the first buttons undone._

 _She lied again as she said herself her heart racing had nothing to do with his almighty figure entering their bedroom, as she said he was not as sexy as everyone in that damned country said._

" _Kuchiki-sama…"_

" _Rukia." He looked at her eyes as he closed the_ shōji _doors behind himself._

 _She looked down, embarrassed to be caught so distracted. Did he know what she was thinking about? He stepped towards her, making her step backwards. His eyes never leaving her face, but when they did, they made her blush deeply._

" _You have nothing to worry about, Rukia."_

 _The utterance of her name made her look straightly at him, biting her lips._

" _Goodnight."_

 _He then turned on his heels to leave the room, but was stopped when her hand shot to his wrist._

" _Wait."_

 _No word left his lips, but his sideways glance told her everything she needed to know. Slowly, she released his wrist, her own arms falling limply by her sides._

" _I am sorry." When he did not reply, she continued, "I just thought… The agreement…"_

 _Her mouth closed shut at the sight of his cold, emotionless eyes on hers. He turned back to her, and closed the distance between their bodies. His tall frame made him tower over her. She even tried to look down, but he held her chin firmly in place._

" _Make no mistake, Rukia, this agreement means nothing to me."_

 _She gulped._

" _This marriage means nothing to me."_

 _Translation:_ you mean nothing to me.

 _He turned on his heels again, ready to leave the room. When he reached the door, he did not look at her to speak._

" _Do not wait for me tonight. I have to be at somewhere else."_

 _He did not see it — and she was grateful he did not — but as soon as the_ shōji _doors slid shut, Rukia felt her lips and skin wet. She brought her fingers to her face and to her complete surprise, a tear stained her perfectly done make up._

 _Again, she lied._

 _She was not crying because he ruined her little expectations of a wedding night — because he was spending it in the arms of another woman. She was happy. Simply as that. She was happy he was not going to touch her now and if it depended on her, not any time soon._

* * *

In spite of the cold season, the sun shone highly in the sky. Early March was bidding goodbye to the Winter and welcoming the Spring, yet the mix of hot sun and chilling winds were pretty much unnerving.

Rukia looked up at the white fluffy clouds up in the bluish firmament and let out a sigh. They were too little, sparse and could barely offer any shelter from the sun rays that seemed to burn her being. And it did not matter she was wearing lighter clothes and a huge hat, it seemed she was all sweaty and dirty.

Needless to mention, it was almost sunset and the hot weather had not cooled down even one bit. If she was not mistaken it would rain soon. If the clouds gathering up were of any indication… She just hoped it started raining when she was finished with her visit and safe and sound in her house.

Not in her car.

Living in Tokyo her entire life, Rukia knew it was easier to wander off by using the public transportation. It was as easier to find parking lots available in the city as it was to find some ounce of sympathy in her husband.

Shaking her head, she turned left in the gigantic Ayoama Cemetery. It was so huge she thought she was about to get lost, but thanks to Ginrei-sama's instructions she knew she would manage to face her father's grave quite easily.

 _Ginrei-sama…_

She looked at her mobile phone and checked the hour. If she was not mistaken the old man would arrive at any time by now. Funny how she could get in contact with Ginrei with more ease than with her own husband.

Two weeks…

Two weeks since she last saw her husband and told him she did not want a divorce, but instead to remember him.

 _To remember you._

Of course she did not receive the response she wanted. If there was something she learned quite fast about him was the fact he never complied with people's expectations. If her recovered memory was of any indication… But her heart, even if not cherished as she expected, was not crushed cruelly by him. Instead, he gave her an answer that had her thinking and thinking and thinking.

 _You have no idea where you are placing your hopes on._

It was not his words. They were as harsh as ever, but something in his eyes… It was brief, of course, because if there was something she had learned in her life was that words were deceitful.

Rukia could not deny. She was curious. Very much curious. He seemed to want to make her give up on him so much it sparked her curiosity.

It did not seem he hated her.

No.

He could very well not love her — he never said he did, in fact her question back at the hospital went unanswered — but he did not seem to hate her either.

Kuchiki Byakuya may never bring himself to admit it aloud, but she knew he cared. It was there in the way he placed his blazer upon her shoulders, in the way he touched her lips with his fingers...

Before she could realize, she was touching her own lips, recalling the warmth of his touch and how she yearned for him to reach out and kiss her.

He did not.

Of course he did not, but she knew he did want, which matched very little with his harsh and unsympathetic line.

He was frustrating!

She wondered if kissing him again would feel as thrilling as it felt in their wedding ceremony or if it would bring a calm feeling, a sense of belonging.

Her very thoughts were cut short by the vibration of her mobile phone. Rukia opened her purse and promptly answered it.

"Kuchiki-sama!"

She stopped in front of a huge statue of an angel and lost herself looking at it.

" _That was the wrong greeting, child. Let's try again."_

"Ginrei-sama..."

There was a chuckle in the other end of the line. Rukia bit her bottom lip. It was quite hard to call the almighty man by his name only or merely by grandfather.

She took a deep intake of breath and tried again,

"Ojii-sama."

" _Much better isn't it?"_

She did not reply for she heard a noise and whispered, muffled voices.

Although she could not understand what the voices were saying, she could only think it was rather important, for Ginrei always put everything on hold whenever they spoke.

" _Rukia..."_

"Yes..."

" _I'm sorry, child..."_ There were more whispers _, "I am afraid I may not be able to accompany you today."_

"Oh..." was all she could say before a frown took upon her features.

" _I deeply apologize. A quite urgent meeting came up right now. Byakuya and I were summoned by the director's board."_

"It's okay, Kuchi..." she stopped herself before she ended up scolded once again, " _ojii-sama_. I'll be fine on my own."

" _Are you sure? I can certainly change my schedule to accompany you tomorrow."_

"No..." She chuckled at the worried voice. She had never met her true grandfather, but she expected him to be as concerned as her grandfather-in-law. "I'll be okay. Besides I'd feel more than a nuisance if you changed your whole schedule because of me. Rest at ease. I'll call you later to tell how it went."

" _I shall be expecting your calling."_

The line went dead. And even if he would not hear, she muttered her goodbye.

Now, still standing in front of the huge statue of an angel, Rukia bit her bottom lip wondering if she really should go on with that visit or if she should retreat.

Part of her knew she was not ready to face her father's grave quite yet — she would never be. But she would have the company of her grandfather-in-law and perhaps with him by her side, she would be able to keep her ground...?

Actually what Rukia expected the most was to listen to more stories of her father's — be it the untold tales of his infancy or the ones she lost along with her memories.

Chewing her bottom lip, she kept going, until she stopped at quite a different area of the cemetery, where she knew the wealthiest were buried.

There, together with the Kuchiki family, lay the grave where her father's body rested.

The epitaph made her close her eyes in order to avoid the tears.

 _Men are born and die every day. Teachers, however, live on in the very soul of the students that passed by in their lives._

* * *

Byakuya looked at the directors in front of him, approaching the current topic that left them almost pulling at each other's neck.

Bankruptcy.

If their stocks continued to decay as harshly as it had been in the last weeks since the shocking news of Rukia's lost memories came out to the public, they would have to close their doors and bid goodbye to the market.

Worse: Japan government would have to welcome hundreds of unemployed people.

The Kuchiki family included.

If not for the CEO's stubbornness, it would have been resolved already.

It was quite simply actually. To put the public at ease, he merely had to state his undying love for the country's princess. The Ice King and his Queen became the very symbol of love in Japan and the company skyrocketed because of the symbology their marriage carried.

Byakuya, however, knew they were on verge of bankruptcy for a few more reasons. Practical reasons that had nothing to do with his private life.

Tales of undying love could only carry a company so far. No matter how much people believed the Kuchiki couple were soul mates, destined to be together even in the afterlife and reincarnations, Japanese were a practical folk. What really mattered in the end was the fact his company offered only the best and was not a part of illicit activities, which quite did not match the reality.

It did not came out to the big public yet, but he found out in the last week his company was being sacked from inside. As it turned, the deal he was almost just closing with the Chinese company in which that loser ex-boyfriend of Rukia had married, gave up on their agreement until he had further explanations.

An audit was established and Byakuya would be damned if he did not find the one responsible for the huge loss of money and fake contracts.

Ginrei was at first in shock his grandson was far more worried about losing money than losing his wife permanently, but what he did not understand was that his company and Rukia were far too different topics and that it was not a question of money, but pride.

His pride was at stake.

In the four generations since the Kuchiki Family gave birth to the Kuchiki Enterprises, none of the CEOs had seen such a huge leak of money, none had witnessed people they employed trying to bring the almighty family to their knees.

He would not be the one to let that happen.

"Enough." His voice although not loud — he never raised it — was cold and devoid of any emotion or sympathy.

" _Shachō_..." One of the directors tried for the billionth time change his mind, "an audit right now would only damage our image further."

A few other voices joined the financial director in his pleas, which caused Byakuya to narrow his eyes.

He was the one responsible for every transaction in the company and if something went wrong it was not Byakuya's head at stake, but his own. He should be the most interested in the audit, but in fact he seemed to almost dread it.

"Is anyone else against auditing?"

For a moment there was an uneasy silence in the meeting room. He buttoned back his blazer and looked at his mobile phone. His eyes narrowed for a moment as he realized where Rukia was at the moment.

Their GPS were always activated and during their marriage, due to Rukia's frail condition. She vowed to always leave it on, so he would know wherever she went in case anything happened.

For the past few weeks he forgot to look at it, but for some reason he found the app open after he left it unlocked for a few moments in his desk.

"We are merely saying that if it comes up as nothing it would cause an unnecessary stir at the moment."

"Are you perhaps afraid of the results?" Ginrei asked, his gray eyes focused on the foxy director.

"Are you stating we are trying to disrupt the investigations?"

His question made Byakuya looked at Shichirō with interest. There was something there and he would be damned if he could not find out what it was.

"You tell me, Shichirō..." He turned on his heels to leave the meeting room, but stopped halfway to the double doors and looked at the financial director over his shoulders, "and make no mistake. If the company is clean as you so state, our image will come out of this auditing stronger. As long as everything is perfectly fine, no one have anything to fear."

There was striking silence for a moment, before the directors understood the meeting was over.

Shichirō was still looking at Byakuya and Ginrei, his eyes as cold and emotionless as theirs.

Everyone left the room, after complimenting the CEO for his swiftness, Ginrei patted his grandson in the back and made to leave when Shichirō's voice reached them.

"You should never treat family that way, child."

"Family or not, you will learn that I make no hollow threats." And walking past both men, "now if you excuse me..."

Right now he had to be at another place.

* * *

 _I will never leave you alone,_ chichiue _. I promise._

Her lips were already bruised as she tried to keep herself from crying.

She felt pathetic.

Pathetic for not recalling the last years. Had his sickness overcome him? Was he healthy? Happy? Pathetic for not knowing how was his passing.

"Was it peaceful, _chichiue_? Were you in pain?"

He was no more than forty-eight — and would be fifty by the end of this year — a man in his prime still. A handsome, young man. And gone so soon.

More than pathetic, Rukia felt guilty. It was useless to know it was not her fault — she was not God and could never decide on people's passing —, she still blamed herself.

Of everything she could have forgotten, she could never have her father, their last years, erased from her mind.

It was an unforgivable sin.

Had she properly mourned his death or was she too happy with her marriage to notice he was gone?

Too busy?

The little stuff she knew about her life was that she was a very busy woman. Dividing herself between school, her master's and her husband's company — not to mention her duties as a wife, if she was willing to mother his child, it meant she was more than willing to waste hours and hours in his bed trying to get pregnant.

Her feelings were so contradictory.

In one moment she wanted to remember him so badly it almost hurt, for deep inside she knew she felt something so strong and amazing for him, it was like a sin to spend the rest of her life ignoring the man, and what they had, she was married to.

Next thing she knew, she hated everything Kuchiki Byakuya meant. She hated that he took so many precious moments of her life and that she felt hollow about not recalling him and somehow at ease about her father's death.

Deep inside she knew she was being childish. None of it was their fault. _His fault._

It happened. Simple like that. People die every day and Ukitake Jūshirō, the kindest man she had ever met, died. There was nothing she could do about it.

It did not matter whether she recalled it or not. She could not bring him back.

No amount of tears would call him back from the dead.

Life was just a passing moment after all. Death was permanent. The only moment everyone can be sure in life.

And he was gone.

Gone for real.

And there would not be a day where she would not recall his very existence and miss his warming, shooting presence by her side.

"How is heaven, _chichiue_? Is it good? Do you miss here? Are you upstairs teaching someone? Or you are now a student as you said you'd always be?"

The lump in her throat was almost unbearable as she eyed the flowers in his grave and wondered how many times she visited him and told stories of her.

He used to do it for his father. He brought her along when she was but a child and taught her the beauty of praising the loved ones even if they were not among the living anymore. Her father taught her it was useless to mourn the dead for too long and it was best if instead people could cherish them and the sweet shared moments.

Perhaps one day she visited him and did not cry because she thought about all the good moments, but at that exact minute all she could think was how she wanted to cry and scream at the heavens to bring her father back.

And she cried.

She cried so much her eyes burnt with the salt of her tears.

Rukia had always been a silent crier — she never enjoyed crying, it made her feel pathetic and weak and she hated feeling pathetic — but that very afternoon she shook with her tears, sobs escaping her mouth each time louder as she mourned Ukitake's passing as if it was the first time — and indeed it was, for she could not recall how it happened.

People passed by her, but none had the nerve to ask her if she was fine and for that she was grateful. They did not have to ask such a question either, for the answer was pretty much obvious.

Rukia embraced herself as she sniffed, her small snub nose was tinted red, wet from tears. The lump in her throat — a friendly companion she was still to get used to — made her choke.

She hated self-misery or self-pity, she always hated how people would use others just by stating their misery was the greatest in the universe, but she could not help but think — and she wondered if others would not do the same —, question actually, why it had to happen to her.

 _Why_ _of all people...?_ was not a question worth asking, because no one ever deserved such cruel fate, she knew it quite well and she did not wish such awful thing to happen not even to her worst enemy — if she ever had one because she could really not remember —, but she asked herself all the same.

And she hated herself for it.

She hated her condition.

She hated her sickness and not taking care of herself, for if she did perhaps it would not happen for her.

She hated how weak she was... and she hated with every fiber of her being how much she tried to remember everything and in spite of her efforts nothing came back to her.

Life was made of memories... what were happy moments if not memories to be cherished in the future when everything else was gone?

The past was nothing but memories... memories... What were of people if not their memories?

 _You can always make new memories with your husband..._

Said the kind doctor back at the hospital. But was it too much to ask to have the old ones back?

She did not care if they were mostly bad.

 _You have no idea where you are placing your hopes on._

She only wanted them back.

And who could guarantee she would not lose them all over again...?

Rukia never felt so bad for people who had _Alzheimer._ How disgraceful must be to lose each of your memories one by one...?

Again... _why?_

It seemed hours have passed before she could calm herself and the tears stopped rolling down her face. Her body was still shaking from the sobs and the uncontrollable sadness that overtook her being.

Soon her face was wet again, but when she touched her cheeks it was not from the tears, she did not have more strength to cry, but droplets of rain landed on her face, wetting delicately the skin. Her huge hat completely soaked by now. She removed it and placed it upon her father's grave.

She looked up at the sky suddenly when a thunder roared, making her shake from head to toe. The rain poured heavily over her, drenching her petite body and all the graves around her.

Now with an excuse, more of a cover up, she cried again and she did not know anymore why she was crying.

It just felt right to cry her eyes out, to pour her very soul in those small drops falling on her face and accumulating on her chin. She sobbed again and again and with her left hand rubbed her eyes, her right arm supporting her weight as she sat on the dirty pavement; her bluish dress completely filthy and soaked by the rain.

But as soon as the rainfall came, it was gone.

Rukia looked up and found a black umbrella protecting her from the torrential downpour. A tall man with jet black hair and elegant branded clothes stood in front of her. Usually emotionless gray eyes shining with concern.

His name, a mere whisper, left her lips.

"Byakuya-sama..."

* * *

 _She still did not like him by the time the gravedigger lowered the coffin six feet under._

 _Personally, he held nothing against her, but he did not love her either. Actually, Kuchiki Byakuya, the almighty CEO of the Kuchiki Enterprises, recently crowned the Head of the powerful and one of the oldest families in Japan, thought of love as a weakness._

 _He had little time to think about useless feelings such as love and if that marriage between them ever took place it was because he was cornered._

 _And Byakuya hated to feel cornered._

 _His grandfather, however, seemed to think he needed to marry in order to achieve a whole new level of respect. Contrary to some western countries, in Japan single businessmen were still regarded as irresponsible and weak. It was some bullshit like_ family makes you stronger.

 _While Byakuya valued his family above all things, it was an undeniable source of pride, he did not have time to a wife right now. He had even little time for someone so young, who knew barely anything about high society and how to deal with the politics games the wealthy liked to play._

 _She was clueless._

 _And naïve._

 _A true weakness that could —_ and would if given chance — _be used against him._

 _If their growing attraction was of any indication, Byakuya knew he was bound to care — he already did — even deeply for her. Although their relationship was still very premature, they were married for barely four months, and favored each other very little, he knew somehow she would find a way to grow on him._

 _She had already grown into his grandfather's heart. Perhaps she had since the first moment, when they all had dinner together for the first time._

 _He almost snorted at the thought as he caressed her arm bared of any clothing. In spite of the warm weather, it was late spring, the wind was chilly yet she did not seem to feel it; her coat forgotten back in his car._

 _Soft raven hair rasped against the opening of his dress shirt as he subconsciously pressed her tighter against his chest. It did not go unnoticed by him how her friends, a few meters distant from them, looked at him. Byakuya was quite aware none of them wished that marriage — he sure as hell did not — and that they hated him for being the one to hold her in such a painful moment._

 _It did not go amiss by him how that Kurosaki boy seemed to loathe him and how her loser ex-boyfriend looked from afar, his bright red hair drawing almost everyone's attention, probably wondering why the_ playboy, with a stick in the ass, _as he called Byakuya once before, was holding Rukia._

 _To be truthful, he himself did not know why he was still holding onto her and did not allow her to go to her friends — in fact he never prohibited her, she was the one to cling to him fiercely and not let go. She knew her friends were there, waiting to speak to her, to comfort her somehow, but she still chose him. Chose to be by his side, in his arms._

 _Perhaps she merely caressed his ego by such public demonstration of preference. And he knew she was not faking it. She was too clueless to ever think about growing rumors about their relationship and how they would speak if the Princess were to choose her friends over her own husband._

 _Perhaps Byakuya was much of a better person than he himself thought and sympathized with her pain._

 _He knew what it was to lose both parents._

 _He felt it once,_ her pain.

 _And even if he was not very fond of her and most of times were annoyed at her reckless behavior, he still could find within himself the will to support her in such tragic moment. He could only remember of himself when the Kuchiki couple, the very panting of happiness and a successful marriage, was gone._

 _Her friends, even his grandfather, however, seemed to think it was merely because there were paparazzi around the corner. Of course, the Princess' father had died, the Tokyo's Princess, the one who apparently melted the Ice King's heart was in pain. They would not lose the chance to sell images to hungry reporters to write about it._

 _While the thought crossed his mind, which is, people would surely make the best of such opportunity, he would never indulge in such public demonstration of affection for such trivial and heartless practice._

 _He was a ruthless bastard most of times — living among wealthy people and heading one of the biggest companies of the whole Asia taught him that he either used people or he ended used —, but Rukia had shown him nothing but sincerity and the least he could do was pay her back now._

 _When she looked up, her nose tinted red and her much paler face wet with tears, he lost no time to bring his thumb and wipe away the droplets that stained her small, lovely face. He knew there were people from all places looking at them, from long-term friends to old students who made the epitaph possible, but he could not bring himself to care._

Men are born and die every day. Teachers, however, live on in the very soul of the students that passed by in their life.

 _Byakuya was used to people judging his every action, his wife included, as she looked at him with her hopeful eyes, perhaps wondering when their relationship had changed and if it would remain that way… If the answer was positive, for how long?_

 _The weather was changing and soon it would rain. The wind bounced off, causing their hair to fly around their faces. She shivered and being the ever gentleman, he quickly took off his coat and placed it over her shoulders, his hand previously stationed on her bare arms, shifted to the small of her back._

 _Rukia turned around to look once again at the dark earth covering the coffin, uncountable flowers in the middle of it. When she raised her face, her eyes went wide at the image of her ex-boyfriend approaching in casual steps, his strong tattooed arms crossed around his chest, keeping the coat closed._

 _She took two steps backwards, until her back met his chest. As if startled, she looked back at him, her lips quivering as she whispered, holding fiercely onto his arm._

" _Please, take me home."_

 _He nodded, taking her smaller hand between his as he led the way out of the crowd of people. That night, it was the first time Byakuya held her in his arms until both of them fell asleep and to his astonishment, it was not that unpleasant._

* * *

He eyed her for quite a long time before he decided to shelter her with his umbrella. She was so sad, so desperate and crying so helplessly, he could barely restrain himself from taking her in his arms and hold her close.

Yet, as cold as it may sound, Byakuya was aware it was a moment she needed to relive by herself; a pain she had to relive alone.

But the very sight of her shoulders curving and the tears staining her beautiful eyes had him suffering for her.

He knew what it was to lose a dear parent. He knew the pain and the anger and the guilty. Even if he was but a child when he lost both his mother and father, he remembered quite well how it felt.

And he heard her sobs and the angry words that left her bruised lips.

 _I hate you._

 _I hate you._

 _I hate you._

Byakuya knew it was directed to him, because he was a distraction. She felt guilty she was all this time engrossed on the fact she lost her memories of them and not focused on her father _, his passing_.

For a moment, he really wished she did hate him. It would be easier if she did. He almost craved for feelings of her despising him.

However, despite of the fact she did not remember him, he knew she was foolishly in love with him. And as much as his heart rejoiced at her words back last time, he was quite aware of how dangerous it was.

 _I want to remember you._

Silly Byakuya once thought that if she could not remember him, _remember their relationship,_ she would be no longer in love with him. Part of what we love is after all encrusted in the core of our memories, or so he believed.

Yet, she had surprised him each time she had looked so disappointed whenever he scolded her and tried to drive her away. He even wished she had gone back to that loser ex-boyfriend of hers.

 _And do you think you can endure watching her happy with someone else… with Abarai or the Kurosaki boy?_

Hell, no.

If there was something Byakuya has ever been was selfish. His controller nature ensured he had everything under his utter, strict control. The same goes for people he whether cared about or not. Rukia was no different.

Nevertheless, this time he was doing it all for her.

Because he cared for her.

He loved her and he knew the best he could do was to set her free. To let her move on with her life and fall in love with someone else, someone deserving and who could really love her back and never hurt her again the way he did in the past.

Then again, she surprised him as she read right through him.

 _You are not being altruistic by divorcing me. You are actually being utterly selfish by letting me go without knowing if that's what I truly want._

He could not stop thinking of her words since their last encounter two weeks ago. And whenever he had time, he spent meditating over what she said.

 _You are actually being utterly selfish…_

 _Utterly selfish…_

Never once before she called him selfish. Perhaps because she was so concerned about pleasing him and being the wife he so expected her to be — even if a few times she would give him a piece of her mind and call him out on his wrongdoings.

 _Yes._

He realized that by letting her go he actually wanted to punish himself for not loving her the way he knew she deserved. For not showing enough.

It was not totally about setting her free and allowing her a chance to be happy. As messed as it was, they once were happy. Even if he did not show it as he should and hurt her plentiful times with his uncaring and arrogant nature, he was happy with her.

Rukia was happy with him.

She said it so many times before.

 _I'm happy here… with you._

Now, standing in front of her, sheltering her with his umbrella, he looked at her concerned. He would give everything away to see her happy again. To see her smile. For months her bright smile, _her laughter_ at his usually mordacious, haughty comments, had filled his busy days at work and the expectation of seeing her smiling again at him warmed his heart and gave him hope back at the hospital during the three horrible weeks in which they all expected her to wake up from her coma.

"Byakuya-sama…" Her whispered greeting had him outstretching his hand to help her to her feet.

Rukia gulped and looked at him, her lips bruised as she bit them again and scrubbed her red little nose.

"What are you doing here?" she breathed out, looking at his outstretched hand, unsure on what to do.

"Come, Rukia."

His deep voice had her closing her eyes and lowering her head in shame. How long had he watched her in her misery? How long had he watched her pathetic form bent over her father's grave? He surely could not think highly of her after her show of weakness.

She had read a lot of her husband and she was quite sure of one thing: his proud personality surely did not approve of her uncontrolled emotions. A man as powerful as himself would never take pleasure in having a wife that could not hold her ground and cried helplessly in the pavement of a cemetery, a public space where the Kuchiki Princess would undoubtedly be spotted.

When Rukia showed no signs she would take his hand, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to himself in a single motion. She squeaked as she held onto his shoulders for dear life. Her gorgeous violet eyes widened as he used one of his hands to keep her close, holding her by the tiny waist.

"Oh, no! Your clothes will get all soaked and dirty. I'm so sorry… I-I…" she stopped herself as she noticed how close she was to him, her body molding into his. Her heart raced. "I-I…"

"It does not matter," he whispered back, his breath caressing her lips.

As the words slipped past him, he let her go as if burned by her touch. Rukia bit her bottom lip and looked down as she was parted from him. What she did not notice was that his reason to break away was quite different than the one she supposed to be the truth. His expensive clothes were of very little importance to him, but having her soft body pressed against his hard one brought back memories of happier days and desires he thought to be buried deep inside of him since he decided to let her go.

"I am sorry."

There was silence between them for a moment, his eyes were downcast, focused on her father's grave. She mimicked him, biting her lips as she waited for any reaction from his part.

"It was peaceful…" His gray orbs shifted back to her, his deep voice barely an audible whisper in the thunderous weather, "his passing."

"I… I see…"

She looked down again, trying to hide the moisture in her eyes. So far, she was doing a deplorable job at holding back her tears. She knew what his sentence conveyed. Her husband was trying to tell her it was useless to feel guilty. His words, even if short and almost meaningless, were meant to offer at least some comfort.

And no matter how much the small piece of memory she recalled told her he was a wretched, selfish man — needless to say his very actions screamed his not so good qualities — that small action had her hoping for the better all over again.

A sniff escaped her, making her realize that no matter how much she tried to hold back her tears, they were wetting her face once more. When cold fingers reached out and lifted her chin delicately, she bit her bottom lip and sniffed again.

"I am sorry…"

"You do not have to hide your tears from me." His thumb then brushed the small droplets on her face tenderly and Rukia could not help but cry more and more, her violet eyes focused on his gray ones.

His touch was so feather like, so different from the kiss she recalled in their wedding day. The small gesture seemed far more meaningful than the act both of them pulled out thorough the whole ceremony.

"He fought bravely his illness…" Byakuya looked at her and noticed, much to his dismay, they were almost glued under the umbrella; the torrential rain still falling over them. "He died working on his educational projects in our house."

Rukia even thought about closing her eyes, but he held her every attention.

"He died as he always wished." Her voice was a mere whisper as she realized she had, perhaps, every reason to feel at ease about her father's passing. And she could not be more grateful he was the one making her see it.

As an answer, a single nod.

"The office both of you used is untouched by your decision."

She gulped, trying to swallow the bitter feeling in her throat.

"Can I see it any of these days…?"

He nodded again, still caressing her cheeks. Then when his thumb moved slowly to her lower lip and forced her to stop biting it, she held her breath. She did not realize all this time she had been crying, the tears roaming freely her face and landing on her lips and chin.

"I am sorry I ashamed you crying here in the cemetery. I am so—

"No." His voice was harsh as he cut her amidst of her sentence. "No."

Her eyes were widened as she asked, her voice a mixture of hope and fear, "Are you not ashamed… Ashamed of me?"

There was no answer from his part, but the way his lips pursed into a thin line and how this thumb over her face stopped the small caress told her everything she wanted to know.

It brought some comfort to her little, sore heart, as if the million pieces of it was mended little by little. As if the memory she recovered meant nothing. Because deep inside, she knew it did not. She could not say their whole marriage was unhappy based on a small, single memory of days they were barely acquainted.

"If you are not ashamed of me why do you keep on trying to drive me away?"

"I do not like repeating myself, Rukia." If not for the tired look on his face, his harsh tone would have hurt her endlessly, "because it is for the best." And before she repeated her question, he added, "best for you."

He was about to retreat his hand and break apart from her, for she would not hear him out, but she held him in place, her small hand over his, her eyes so hopeful it almost broke all his resolve to stay away from her.

"Rukia."

"Give me one reason to stay," she said, her voice small, her throat sore from all the crying. She kissed his palm, expecting him to retreat shortly after her action.

Surprisingly, he did not. Instead, he lowered his face to hers, making her firmly believe he would kiss her. She held her breath, her heart on the verge break her rib cages. He did not. Rukia held onto his shirt, her digits going blank with the force. Byakuya placed his face close to hers, cheek to cheek, his voice barely a whisper on her ears as he spoke,

"I could give you millions to walk away."

A defeated sigh left her lips.

"You have already given me one million reasons to let you go." Her voice was broken, her heart was beating so strongly she thought he was able to feel it as well. "I just want… I want…"

"You have no idea what you are asking for, Rukia." Once again, he tried to break apart, but she held onto him, her petite body pressed against his.

She felt so perfect there, in his arms.

It did not matter the hellish weather almost shook them off the ground. The umbrella barely served as a shelter from the strong rain, but it did not seem to matter as they remained in each other's embrace, her much smaller frame forcing him to bend down.

Eyes closed, he inhaled her scent and thought how crazy he was to have ever wanted to give her the divorce. Her hands holding fiercely onto his lapels and one of his arms, the one that was not busy keeping the umbrella over them, held her by the waist, held her close.

There were few adjectives he could use to describe the moments and the one good with words in that relationship was surely not him. But if she should choose one, it would be peaceful.

 _Peace…_

He felt peaceful.

His inner demons quieted even if for a brief moment and there was nothing else he could ever ask for in his life. Yet, even aware that there was no place he could feel better, he hesitated to ask her to stay.

Part of him told him to dismiss these feelings and let her go for good — he knew it was for the best and while she may not thank him now, she certainly would in the future — but that small, annoying part begged him to hold onto her. To definitely _not_ let her go.

Past memories were of little importance. Doctor Unohana was right, they could always make new memories for both of them. He was sure that if he just gave himself the chance, he could make her fall in love with him all over again.

 _However..._ However, he was afraid.

The man who feared nothing, the powerful man who would not even think twice before crushing his enemies, was afraid of hurting his wife _again_.

The idea of causing Rukia pain was unbearable, _terrifying_. And to think up to now it was all he did. Till that very moment everything he did hurt her. His refusal and his unfeeling posture, his will to let her go when she so wanted to be back to his arms hurt her.

Byakuya was not sure he was fit enough to love her without hurting her again. Could he learn to love her the way she deserved?

So he lied to himself. Lied to her. And he would keep on lying until she believed he was not the Mr. Right as she so believed. He was not the Charming Prince and he would never be.

"I am a selfish man, Rukia." He breathed out, retreating just a bit to look at her in the eye, "I can offer you nothing but pain."

 _I am happy here… with you._

Another lie.

He could offer her so much more if he just allowed himself to. He could and would, if she just so asked, give her the entire heaven, because he loved her. Loved her so much it almost hurt. But he tricked himself into thinking the best he could give her was not himself and his love, but freedom… Freedom of their relationship, of his uncaring nature and silent love.

"No." She used her hand to wipe her nose. "You are lying."

He remained silent, his gray eyes so unfeeling and cold they made her shiver. He removed his coat and placed it over her shoulders in order to keep her warm.

"I may not be able to remember all of you, but I know I was once happy." Her voice grew firm as she continued, "We were happy."

At her words, he retreated for good, handing her the umbrella, so he could put some space between them.

"As you said, you do not remember me."

He turned on his heels, leaving a very stunned Rukia behind. When he noticed she was not following, he looked at her over his shoulder.

"Let's go. I am taking you home."

"No!" Her eyes were pretty much widened at his action. "You are dodging the matter… You…"

"Rukia…" He looked straight at her, his usually emotionless gray orbs showing a hint of annoyance at her complaints. "Keep walking."

Biting her bottom lip she did as she was told grudgingly. She hated to be bossed around and it seems her husband enjoyed doing that more than often. Looking ahead she walked to the exit of the gigantic cemetery with him two steps in front of her.

A sigh left her lips. Her time to reason with him was completely gone. It was not even worth trying now. The magic moment was shattered into pieces and it did not matter how much she tried, she would not be able to force him to open up to her.

 _Liar…_

 _Liar!_

She wanted to scream at him, but part of her knew she was lying to herself as well. Lying when she wanted to pretend nothing bad ever happened between them and their marriage was happy fairy tale.

Both of them were no more than desperate _Pinocchios_ lying to each other. One trying to see their life as the happiest ever and the other trying to convince it was a miserable life. Neither willing to admit that they still had a lot to work on.

Casting a glance or two at him — and ignoring her defeated emotional state for nothing getting what she wanted from him — she felt half worried and ashamed he was all soaked because of her, because she was stupid enough and forgot to bring her own umbrella. When she looked at him for the third time, lips getting bruised by the second, she found him staring back straightly at her, gray eyes narrowed. Gulping, she shifted her attention back to the slippery ground, a vain attempt to hide her blushed cheeks.

In a few minutes they reached a black car, one she presumed to be his, since it was the most expensive vehicle in the surrounding area. He opened the door of the Chrysler 300C for her to enter.

"I… What are… I…"

"I am taking you home," he repeated himself and took the umbrella from her hands, "enter."

"Wait… I-I…"

He looked at her, his tired face showing how much he did not want to argue with her. When she did not speak, he inhaled deeply.

"Rukia."

"I will only enter if you really talk to me."

"I am talking to you right now," his retort showed how annoyed he was right now.

"No…" She reached to touch his face, but retreated afraid he would dodge from her. He did not. With a sigh, she traced his cheekbones lightly. "No more lies… Please."

There was no answer from his part as he broke apart. The lack of answer, however, did not bother her. He was actually quite vocal when he disagreed with something, the fact he said nothing could only mean he was at least considering her proposal, right?

"Enter."

Nodding, Rukia slid in the leather seat, a shiver running down her spine at the thought of asking him a few questions. Her heart thundered in her chest, mimicking the sky above.

Would he really answer them truthfully?

Rather: was she ready for his answers?

* * *

 **A/N – Guys, well… I'm tired… Writing this chapter was one hell of a ride. I barely had time the last few weeks. If you read any of my NejiHina's oneshots for NejiHinaWeek, (if you haven't go read hahaha) you have noticed I'm working like crazy and every oneshot posted I said I would update Remember.**

 **Then, four days ago I had this chapter finished, but then I was watching to Lady Gaga's Million Reasons and I was like: OMG. I need this chapter to feel as heartfelt as this song. Don't know if I could make it, of course. I tried… If you haven't listened to this song, go do it asap.**

 **This chapter was named Down the Rabbit Hole and it would be brighter than it is actually, it'd also have 12k, but in the end it seemed forced and did not suit the story and neither Byakuya. I know the summary says he is going to make her fall in love with him all over again, but you all know Byakuya, he is quite stubborn. I don't think he would change his mind so easily… And you know me, I value more taking time to let things happen than to make them seem rushed or unreal. Hope you understand xD**

 **Then I got sick. I still am… and that's why I am only updating now. Sorry. I'm really sorry for the late update.**

 **Now, some replies.**

 **At first, my biggest thanks to everyone who made me reach 79 reviews. You guys are really amazing. I know a lot of people doesn't want to have anything to do with Bleach anymore, so I feel really good and honored people continues to like my stories.**

\- Obsessed Dreamer: **Yay! You were one of my first reviewers ever here in ffnet, so I was smiling from eye to eye when I saw your review. I'm really happy you like this story even if it's at the very beginning. Thank you, dear! Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.**

\- scarletblackdies: **Beautiful, thanks for reviewing each of my chapters. You are amazing! I laughed with some of your reviews. Yes, he is an asshole and I don't really know if he is much better in some of her memories or even now. He is pathetic, true, but he is as much as at loss as she is. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.**

\- Byakuyalover: **Dear, thanks for reviewing every chapter. I was quite happy when I saw your reviews. Glad to know I could make a ByaSana shipper read my fanfic. Hope you continue to enjoy this fic ^^ No, Hisana is not going to show up in my fics. If you want to read something with her, The Duke's Lover would be the option (self-promotion here hahaha) xD**

\- RED: **Relax, you did not misinterpret their interaction, so rest at ease xD I was a bit shocked at your review. I wish I had one. I know you don't know me, but if you ever need someone to talk to, feel free to PM me or something like that, ok? It's impossible to hate Byakuya for good, don't you think?**

 **I think that's all, guys.**

 **Hope you have enjoyed this chapter.**

 **I already have 5k taken from this chapter that will make up most of next chapter. So I think that before this year ends, I'll be able to update** chapter 6 – Down the rabbit hole. **My goal now is to update The Duke's Lover.**

 **And would you mind reviewing this chapter for me?**

 **Take care,**

 **Velvetsins**


	6. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Hi, guys! Happy belated New Year! xD**

 **I know I promised to update in the last week of 2016, but well… Here it goes, I couldn't. Hope you forgive me.**

 **As this chapter is already big enough on its own, I won't say much. Let's just say this chapter is far brighter than the last ones (bittersweet I'd say) and that it have lots of memories of their past. I wrote this chapter listening to Water Under the Bridge by Adele (gotta love this woman) and I think this song is soooo like Remember! Perhaps her song is the reason why this chapter is brighter than the last ones. Go check it out!**

 **Disclaimer: Kubo owns Bleach, I own this plot. All brands and places here mentioned are real and I don't own them.**

 **Warning: OOCness.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Remember_

 **Chapter 6. Down the Rabbit Hole**

* * *

 _His gray eyes shifted to his Cartier Rotonde and checked the hour._

 _Late._

 _She was late._

 _As usual._

 _Annoyed, he ordered the maître to have his wine served and looked at the droplets running down the huge windows to which he was seated close by._

 _Late summer brought several storms in the middle of the day. Nights too. Perhaps that was the reason why she was late. Still it was not acceptable. He cancelled an important meeting to have lunch with her — or as his grandfather called 'spend quality time with his adorable fiancée'._

 _He almost scoffed at the idea._

 _The sound of clicking high heels made him look up, but it was none other than a waitress serving the nearby tables. Needless to mention, his fiancée could hold herself up in a high heel as better as she knew how to stay in the Elders' good graces._

 _If not for his grandfather, Byakuya would probably still be a bachelor, for the Elders surely despised Rukia and her commoner's manners._

 _Or if he were to be honest with himself, he would probably be already married to someone who could certainly wear high heels, but who would expect of him undying love — or infinite money. At least, Rukia and he were on the same grounds._

 _Marriage was after all something he would not be able to dodge for the rest of his life._ Sadly _._

 _He sipped his wine as the clicking of high heels approached his table. This time, the hostess together with the general manager bowed to him._

" _Kuchiki-sama," both said in unison, their heads still bowed. Byakuya shook_ _his wrist and checked the hour once again. If Rukia took two more minutes to arrive, he would leave and no matter what his grandfather said or did he was not coming back to her._

" _You may speak," he conceded, making the general manager smile nervously._

" _There is... Well... A young lady outside claiming to know you, Kuchiki-sama..."_

 _He watched them through narrowed eyes. He hated when people feared him so much it prevented them from saying what they must quickly. A busy man such as himself did not have enough time for waffling._

" _Her name is Ukitake Rukia. She claims to be..." The man gulped. "Well..."_

" _Allow her in," he replied and turned back his attention to the wine, a bit disappointed she actually made it in time — given the two extra minutes he conceded her._

" _Kuchiki-sama..." the hostess spoke, her voice soft and somehow judgmental, "if you allow me to be this blunt... In her current condition, people may think she is somehow related to you and..."_

" _She is," he replied in an aloof tone. "And your bluntness will not be tolerated a second time."_

" _Of course, Kuchiki-sama," the general manager promptly said, his eyes burning the hostess. "Ukitake-sama will be immediately brought to you."_

 _Quite soon light steps approached his table. No clicking of high heels. Just soft sounds of someone who probably wore a cheap pair of green all-star to do everything in life._

" _Kuchiki-sama..." Her soft voice made him look at her in the eye. Her red cheeks and panting state indicated she came running all the way. She was all soaked, from head to toe. Her cheap clothes were all translucent showing the purple bra she wore underneath the white dress-shirt._

 _Now he understood what the receptionist meant by_ her condition.

 _Shifting back his attention to her face, he realized by her embarrassment he had been staring for a quite long time. Her arms were wrapped around her torso, covering her chest. If he was a different man, he would have rolled his eyes, instead he brought the wine to his lips._

" _You are late."_

" _Thank you for greeting me and showing such great concern about my well-being, Kuchiki-sama."_

" _Your well-being is not of my concern."_

 _Rukia scoffed and took her seat in front of him. Her hand immediately shot to the wine bottle to serve herself, but his hand around her wrist prevented the action._

 _None of them were blind to the electrifying sensation that came from the light touch. When their eyes met, he quickly broke apart._

" _Are you even allowed to drink?"_

" _I am 22."_

" _You never said."_

" _You never asked," she replied, tasting the wine with closed eyes. Savoring it. "I really needed that."_

 _Eyes closed, Rukia missed his intense gaze completely focused on her. Specifically on her clothes or the lack of that, since her white dress-shirt left nothing to imagination. It did not go unnoticed by him how other men ogled her in the Italian restaurant, mainly foreigners who thought young Asian women were easy prey._

Argento ASO _was one of his favorite restaurants in Ginza for its unique and incredibly tasty cuisine, not to mention the impressive wine list, but he was quickly learning how to dislike those who frequented it._

 _He rose up from his seat and placed his double-breasted gray blazer over her shoulders, causing her to look up to him and ask a bit startled,_

" _What are you doing?"_

 _He did not reply, instead he lingered with his hands over her shoulders for a while, making sure all those men realized his position in her life._

 _It was not jealousy. He just did not like to share and as much as he detested that engagement, until further notice — or a break up, what he came to actually discuss in the restaurant — Rukia was his._

 _Being such a controller man — a very traditional one on top of that — Byakuya hated the mere idea of open relationships or those modern things people wanted to label as the right way to love._

 _Love blinded people, only fools could not see that._

 _It did not help Rukia seemed unaware of their stares. For a woman who claimed vehemently not to be a virgin anymore — a poor attempt of dissuading both their families from that engagement, which did not work of course — she was quite blind to other men's attention._

Silly woman.

 _He still recalled how Ginrei laughed at her statement, saying it was not a problem, for he doubted his grandson could muster the patience a virgin required._

 _While he disagreed with Ginrei — he knew how to be kind and he was definitely patient when it came to sexual affairs, as selfish as he was, he was quite altruistic in bed. None of his lovers complained before, on the contrary, they always left thoroughly satisfied — he remained quiet, for he was none too excited to have a virgin bride. He had never shared a bed with one and he did not intend to. Virgins were far too much clingy, frail things that expected romance, something he could not give them._

" _Oh..." She bit her bottom lip, her fingers brushing the fabric lightly, her eyes had a hint of curiosity as she smiled at him, "Thank you."_

 _He nodded._

 _A minute or so passed by in silence with the two of them merely staring at each other. When he opened his mouth to speak the waitress approached, asking if they were ready to order._

 _Too far stunned with the high prices — but what did she expect? The man sitting in front of her was none other than Kuchiki Byakuya and that restaurant was just Argeno Aso, a Michelin star restaurant — she let him order for both of them, while she admired the atmosphere._

 _She had never been to such expensive places before, so she barely knew how to behave, what to wear or what to order, for example._

 _Her cheap clothes suddenly made her feel too self-aware of herself. She was wearing a green skirt paired white dress-shirt, which was totally translucent at the moment. Her shoes were none other than an old tacky pair of, but still comfy, green all-star. No wonder he asked if she was older than 19. With the clothes she wore, she would not be surprised if people thought she was no more than a high schooler._

 _Customers stared at her as if she did not belong there. All of them wore high branded clothes, even the blazer around her shoulders keeping her warm and hiding her from prying eyes, was high branded. Ralph Lauren, if she was not mistaken._

 _But hey, she was just a teacher and hell, that week all teachers were getting school back on track before the classes began. She would be damned if she wore something expensive while painting Chappy on the walls._

 _And she could only blame him for calling her in the middle of the morning asking — no, demanding,_ such a jerk _— for her to have lunch with him in an expensive restaurant that was a bit far from the school._

 _Naïve Rukia thought that if she used her bike she would get there faster than calling a taxi, but she did not expect the torrential rain that poured over her._

 _When the food was served — red sea bream spaghetti with accent of yuzu sauce, or so was read in the menu — they began eating in silence and Rukia, as curious as she was, did not dare to disturb the peaceful atmosphere settled between them. However, after a few minutes staring at his emotionless face could not hold herself; the words simply slipped past her lips, "Why did you call me here?"_

 _He cleaned the sides of his mouth and sipped his wine. His face as aloof as ever as he replied, "To make a business proposition."_

 _Rukia frowned, but remained silent, which somehow displeased and surprised Byakuya. He expected her to get all excited, like any other woman would._

" _We are stuck in an engagement none of us wanted."_

 _He felt her tensing at his words, but to his surprise, she masked it quite well._

 _She nodded._

" _Our families will not allow us to break up," she completed with a sigh, resting against the chair; eyes closed._

 _It was his turn to nod._

" _We are helpless. We have to go to weekly dates and say how much we progressed... tell what we learned about each other..." Her voice was almost desperate as she completed, "it's so ridiculous it looks like a Hollywood rom-com with Adam Sandler."_

 _He nodded once again, even if he thought he deserved a far better comparison than Adam Sandler._

" _We can change that," he stated calmly._

 _Her eyes shot open at his words. The violet orbs shone brightly._ Happily.

" _What? How? When? Now?"_

 _She was so very excited to get rid of him, he narrowed his eyes at how much it wounded his pride._

" _No. Not now."_

 _There was silence between them once again as Byakuya chewed the pasta calmly. She mimicked him, savoring the food. It was surely expensive, but she could not deny it tasted amazing._

" _If we want to get rid of them, we must plan carefully and calmly. All of our attempts failed miserably because of your rush-_

" _Hey! There is nothing wrong with my plans! They're..."_

 _She let the words die in her mouth. His look torn between disbelief and reprimand for she had interrupted him and he thoroughly hated it had her pursing her lips into a thin line._

" _Perhaps I was too much excited to get rid of you and I kind of... screwed everything?"_

 _His gray eyes still had that look of disbelief._

" _Fine. I screwed everything. I am sorry, Your Grace..."_

 _Again, if he was lesser man, he would have rolled his eyes at her form of referring to him. She said it once or twice before, he was so self-composed and so arrogant and so devoid of any emotion he could only pertain to a Royal Family in another incarnation — a British Duke perhaps._

" _I thought that the wish was reciprocal at least."_

" _It is," he assured her flatly._

 _This time, it was her turn to have her pride hurt by his careless and blunt confession._

 _Pouring more wine for both of them, she cleared her throat._

" _Well... go on. I'm all ears."_

* * *

A sigh left her lips as she noticed that instead of driving her to their, _his,_ penthouse in Minami-Azabu, he was actually going towards Inoue's house. She did not know the reason, but she was a bit disappointed and… _relieved_ …?

Her thoughts were a complete mess and she could not stop thinking how he had found her back at the cemetery. Did Ginrei-sama tell him…? She doubted. She expressly asked of him not to and she knew he meant it when he promised he would not.

"How did you…?" she asked when they stopped at the traffic light, the silence pretty much unbearable at the moment. The warm air coming from the air conditioning made her shudders stop and she did not feel cold anymore. The fluffy white towel he had handed her to dry her face and soaking hair was now in her lap, being creased between her fingers.

Without taking his eyes from the path ahead, he replied, watching the lights turning from red to yellow and then to green.

"Your GPS was activated."

"Excuse me?"

Her violet orbs widened at his answer. That was simply… _invasive!_ How could he track her without her permission? Did he always do that? How many times a day? It was utterly creepy and controller and horrible.

Sensing her discomfort, he glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes and explained himself. The thought of Kuchiki Byakuya explaining himself to someone was all of sudden utterly absurd.

"Due to your condition we agreed it was best if we knew about each other's whereabouts in case an accident happened. When I saw you were at the cemetery…" He let the rest of his sentence hanging on the air, feeling completely ridiculous for having said so much.

That was the main reason why he did not like telling people, _telling her,_ of his feelings. He did not know how to put it into words without sounding tacky. Having been raised his whole life to be the Iron Fist Businessman, Byakuya knew very little of how to turn his feelings into words. He either seemed cold and unfeeling or cheesy. At the moment, with Rukia, he did not know which was worst.

"That was… thoughtful of you."

Her face was in flames. She felt so ashamed she had _again_ judged him so harshly for no reason. There he was, trying to comfort her in a moment of suffering and his wife judging him as if he was a creepy controller.

"But you did not have to. Now you are all soaked and dirty and messed all because of me. You can catch a cold if you…"

"Rukia," he stopped her, his eyes focused on the path ahead and the low visibility due to the torrential rain, his voice harsh, "don't be ridiculous." And noticing her down cast eyes, he completed, "I shall be fine."

The rest of the path was made in complete silence. But for some reason none of them thought of it was uncomfortable anymore.

* * *

It took then almost fifty minutes to cross the city and reach Inoue's house, the traffic heavy and irritating. All the time Rukia created questions in her mind, but did not have the audacity to voice them.

She cast sideways glances at him, but whenever he did look back, she would shift her attention to either her toes, her green all-star completely soaked, or to the window, the droplets hitting the glass mercilessly.

What should she ask? How should she? Would he answer them? All of them? How many questions was she allowed to ask?

When he stopped in front of her friend's apartment building, she removed his coat and was about to tell him it was unnecessary to open the door for her, but he was already doing it, his hand extended to help her disembarking.

 _Ever the gentleman..._

With a sigh, she placed her fingers upon his letting him guide her to Inoue's door.

"Thank you for the ride."

He nodded and turned on his heels to leave her alone, when her fingers touched his arm. He froze in the same place, but gave no indication he would face her. He merely listened to what she had to say.

"Byakuya-sama, I..." Her soft calling had him looking at her out of the corner if his eyes. "I think you should enter..."

"I think it's highly inappropriate," he replied immediately, a bit surprised she was inviting him to enter in her friend's house. Inoue was perhaps the only one of her friends who did not judge him so harshly, but he was not a fan of her either. In fact, her antics and quirks pretty much annoyed him.

"Well..." Rukia's face was completely hot and red, "The visibility out there is quite bad and is raining a lot… It can be dangerous to drive back in such weather."

"Your concern is welcomed, but unnecessary, I can drive fairly well even in such conditions," he said, watching as she retreated with her fingers. He almost pulled her hand back in place, but restrained himself.

Rukia bit her bottom lip, trying to bite together her urge to call him out on his straightforward superiority. She was trying to help and there he was rebutting her every sentence with arrogance.

But to Byakuya it was a rather awkward moment. One month before she had awakened in the hospital and refused to talk to him, then she thought better to go to her friend's house and now all of sudden she wanted to recover her memories of him and for him to enter that said friend's house.

Aware he would not give in, Rukia tried once again, her tone and resolve firm.

"My questions. You said..."

"I never agreed to answer them." His tone was harsh now, causing her to bit her bottom lip.

"At least until the rain slow down a bit." As he seemed adamant, she tried again, "I'd feel horrible if you got sick because of me."

Finally giving up, he nodded, letting her guide him inside the small apartment.

Part of him was curious to know her questions, the other half was afraid, for he would not know how to reply them.

* * *

As he struggled to fit into the clothes she gave him — they pertained to Ishida Uryū's, a man smaller and thinner than him — he looked around the bathroom where he had just taken a shower.

On her insistence, he had not only been forced to stay, but to take a shower as well while she put his clothes in the laundry.

And it did not matter Byakuya had said it was highly unnecessary for her to do it, for once Rukia decided on something there was no one who could ever demote her from such idea.

In fact, the auburn-headed girl was right. Her house was much smaller than their penthouse. His bathroom could fit at least six of her bathroom. He wondered how Rukia could live in such a small space and not feel suffocated.

But then again, if it was for his wife, they would have changed houses quite a long time ago. She hated how big and luxurious their penthouse was. If it was to live in such a big place, she thought they better live with Ginrei-sama in the Kuchiki Compound.

A man inclined to his privacy, Byakuya had been adamant. It was one of the few wishes he did not grant her. All in all, after a month or so after they became intimate, she understood why he prided himself so much in having a place only to himself.

He shook his thoughts away and stepped out of the bathroom, his nude feet guiding himself through the small apartment to the laundry where he found her clad in a gray shorts and white tank top.

She seemed rather comfortable placing his clothes inside the washing machine.

He watched her in silence, towel between his fingers.

It seemed like a lifetime had passed before she looked back at him from her shoulders, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"I am sorry I did not notice you before, I was busy—

She stopped half-sentence, looking at him with a frown. His frozen stance had her smile dying on her face.

"What's wrong?"

He shook his head, entering the small laundry and placing his towel on the clothesline. In a moment, Rukia was touching his arm, trying to yank the towel from his hands and do it herself.

"Wait!" She still held onto his forearm, "you don't have to..."

"Rukia," he interrupted her, turning to face her, his taller form hovering over hers. "I am capable of extending my own towel."

At his scold, she bit her bottom lip, her cheeks completely hot and red. If she did not know better, she would have said she had never been intimate with him.

"I know... I am sorry."

His eyes flickered direct to her soft lips, his desire to kiss her once again after so much time almost overpowering.

They remained silent for a moment, and Rukia's heart was beating so loudly she could swear he was able to listen to it as well. She wet her lips and once again wondered how it would feel to be kissed by him.

Shaking such thoughts from her mind, she stepped away and left the small laundry.

"I am gonna make dinner. You can join me in the kitchen if you want."

He nodded, feeling out of place. She was out of place. He did not know where he had his mind when he accepted her begging. It was so out of character, he felt his jaw tightening at the mere thought. Actually, he should leave right now, before he did something he would regret later, something that could embarrass both of them, regardless of how tacky he felt wearing another's clothes.

Yet… Byakuya knew that if he left, she would be completely disappointed and part of him could not take her sorrowful face anymore. Not because of him. He had seen that expression so many times before… And yet there he was beginning to question his own sanity for he should not be there. He had decided to let her go. He better remember that.

Now he was stuck with thousands of memories of them back at their penthouse in homely chores during weekends. Rather: of him convincing her they had plenty of pleasurable stuff to do instead of taking care of the house for the maid would be back on Monday after all.

He followed her to the kitchen, observing how she expertly cut the chicken and the vegetables to put them in the stew. The sight brought back memories he thought he would never recall, but the same situation happened so many times before he could not help but see it right in front of his eyes all over again.

"Do you want something to drink while the _chanko-nabe_ is not ready?" she asked, back turned to him. "We don't have expensive whiskeys, but we do have some sake and _soju_ …"

Byakuya narrowed his eyes at the implication that he his palate was that sensible he could not take cheaper drinks. He felt inclined to tell he would be driving later — if he could choose, he would be driving home right now, but the rain instead chose for him and decided he would not be entering his car for quite a while — but decided against it.

"I shall be fine with _soju_."

Rukia nodded, walking past him to get the bottle inside the kitchen cabinet. When she served both of them a small dose — she never thought she would need it that much — she looked at him and noticed how much casual he looked wearing Ishida's clothes. It was also visible, quite visible, if she might add, that the clothes almost did not fit him. In spite of the fact, Ishida was almost his height, his shoulders and chest were not as broad as her husband's. His frame was highlighted by the clothes, his powerful arms showing…

She could not help but wonder how much he worked out, because he surely did. No being could have such perfect physics without spending a few hours in the gym.

Subconsciously, her eyes trailed down his frame. _Yes…_ She could definitely see why so many women her age — men included — and younger and older too, were so hooked upon him. He could be of a very picky and arrogant nature, but no one could ever deny he was quite pleasing to the eye — perhaps that was one of the reasons why he was so arrogant.

"Rukia." His deep voice brought her attention back to him. She blushed and shivered at the tone of his voice. She could barely believe she was checking him out so blatantly.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be—

Before she could finish, he served both of them more _soju_ and alerted, "the food."

"Oh…" was all she could say. So he was not calling her attention because she was looking at him, more like _ogling,_ but because of the food. Her face was even redder now. "I am sorry."

Returning her attention to the task at hand, Rukia let the silence settle between them. It was once again awkward. She bit her bottom lip and trying to ease the atmosphere, she asked, "Are you comfortable? Do you think I should look for other clothes?" She shifted back her attention to his eyes, cheeks still flaring red, "I know you usually wear nothing to sle—

She stopped in the middle of her sentence, eyes widened.

"I am sorry... I..."

"Perhaps I should leave," Byakuya suggested, his tone albeit cold, had a hint of concern.

Those small memories she recalled whenever she was close to him did not seem to do her any good. Quite the contrary.

"You should rest."

She was still looking down, as if burned with a memory he had no idea of.

Fisting his hand, he walked back to the living room, decided to leave when her voice sounded behind him.

"Wait, my questions... I..."

"We both know you have no condition to ask them right now."

"I..." She closed her lids forcefully. He was right, her head was hurting like hell and her emotional was a roller-coaster after so many revelations in one day, but still... Still... She deserved to know. She needed to.

There were so many missing pieces. So many gaps... and who could be better to answer them than her own husband?

"It's just three questions..."

He looked at as if not buying her words. She bit her bottom lip and added, "And three wishes..."

His face remained impassible as he walked back to her in a restrained pace. Nothing could ever go right with Rukia when she settled for _wishes_.

* * *

" _Are you confident this can work?" As soon as the words slipped past her lips, she regretted them, but it was too late already._

 _He eyed her as if she had grown thirty heads at the same time._

 _And she thoroughly hated when he did it. What? His plan as good, but it was not foolproof... Although she thought he probably saw her as the fool in that relationship._

" _If you stick to the rules..."_

 _Translation: if you_ can _stick to the rules._

 _She drank the rest of her wine and looked at him through narrowed eyes._

 _Renji was right — and she hardly enjoyed agreeing with him — Kuchiki Byakuya_ _had a stick in the ass._ _Could he ever do something without those rules of his?_

" _Fine!" she agreed, throwing her arms in the air. "I can make it... Although I still think I should receive something in return… Like a prize for putting up with your horrible company..." she mumbled to herself, looking down at her nails. When it was the last time she had them properly manicured? Well… She had scheduled it for that afternoon during lunch, but guess what? Kuchiki Byakuya happened._

" _How much?" he said, ignoring her words and pulling his mobile phone, the bank app already opened. "Tell me how much and it will be in your account in a few minutes."_

 _At his serious words, Rukia threw her head back and started laughing. She laughed so much and so loudly people from other tables stared at them._

 _Her chest heaved and vibrated with her laugh, her shoulders moved in synchrony. Her eyes were full of unshed tears. When she looked back at him, she noticed his cold, unfelling stare and little by little the laughter died in her throat._

" _I'm sorry... I..." She bit her bottom lip. "Gods above! Do you sincerely believe people can only do things expecting money in return?"_

 _He was confused._

 _Certainly he did believe she expected money from him, because people always did. Why would be his_ adorable fiancée _be any different?_

" _You were the one to mumble you deserved something for putting up with my horrible company," he repeated her very words in an icy tone._

" _I know what I said, I'm sorry. It was horrible of me..." She kept on biting her bottom lip. "But I actually did not have money in mind..."_

 _He hated when people started waffling around him. What he admired the most about her is that she was always frank and went straight to the point. He had little time for that and look he lost his next meeting because of his lunch with Rukia._

" _Is it a car that you want?"_

" _No!" Her voice went louder, attracting attention to them. "I am fine with my bike. It's horrible to drive in Tokyo with this traffic nonetheless... What I want is some of your software... For the school I work at I mean..."_

 _Byakuya looked at her through narrowed eyes._

" _No car, no money... Are you serious?"_

" _Of course!" She looked offended. "What's the use of a car? My father has his car and I have my bike and as for money, I am just fine with my salary, even if it can't be compared to your income, I am good and think about the children!" Her eyes shone as she mentioned her students, "They will be fascinated with it. They are poor, most of them have no relatives, it's going to motivate them to learn, it's going to make them believe studying is a good thing. It can make studying fun! Think about all those children, it's going to be heaven for them!"_

" _You are too good to be true," Byakuya commented, sipping his wine._

" _Well..." Rukia looked at him, her cheeks rosy. To hide her embarrassment, she busied herself with the wine, emptying the glass before replying, "Thank you."_

" _That was not a compliment."_

 _She bit her lips, preventing the_ well, fuck you, _from escaping them. She knew she would do better than to stay in his bad side._

" _Well, thank you nonetheless."_

" _Apart from the software, would you like something else?"_

 _She bit her bottom lip even harder._

" _New computers? I mean ... Kuchiki Enterprises have the best educational software... but without the right hardware... and sadly, as much as my father tried, the director thinks it's not necessary to have such technologies in our in school. He won't even listen to me, of course, I'm just a newbie, inexperienced with teenagers... and attractive to them because I look like easy prey... I just hate how people think you can only do a good job if you have many years in the area... I am sorry, I was rambling."_

 _Byakuya remained silent._

" _But it's just so frustrating how people believe you can't do a job merely because you are young. Frustrating, isn't it? It also happens to you...?"_

 _Although he did not nod, he understood quite well the feeling._

 _Actually, they were engaged because he was, according to his grandfather and the directors around him, too young. Having a wife would help him gain the respect he needed to go farther and achieve only the greatest for his company._

 _A wife, not his skills._

 _A woman, not his competence._

 _It did not matter he had been crowned the Businessman of the Year for two years consecutively._ Twice _. People still believed he could only prove himself when he started a family._

 _The waitress came and he paid the bill quietly, as if in the autopilot. Silence came and stayed with them for a while. After what felt like years, he conceded, "You have your deal." And before Rukia could say anything, he dialed his secretary's number, "Ise-san, ask Akon-san to accompany Rukia in a tour in the next half hour. We are on our way."_

 _When he shut down the calling, Rukia placed her hands over her mouth, her feet hitting the floor in a very excitable gesture._

 _He knew she was happy, it was visible in her eyes._

" _Oh my God! Are you even serious?"_

 _He stared at her as if her doubting his words affected his pride quite a bit. He nodded nonetheless._

" _I love you so much right now I could kiss you forever."_

 _When he stared intensely at her lips, she felt like her face was in flames. She shook her hands desperately, trying to dismiss her earlier words._

" _Errr... I take that back, but I am still grateful."_

" _Hn..." He rose from his seat and walked to Rukia helping her with her chair. Her eyes shone with happiness as she looked at him._

" _You also have your deal. I promise everything will go accordingly to your plan."_

" _You better start once we get to my office."_

" _I promise you won't be disappointed!"_

 _He nodded, his hand on her back as he guided her to the exit to prevent her from slipping in the floor. With her ability to embarrass herself whenever she was with him plus her soaked tennis, he would not find it totally impossible to see her face glued to the ground in a few steps. Nonetheless, she mistook his intention, as always._

" _Huh? Do you want your blazer back? I can..."_

" _It is fine," he replied, barely believing she was unaware of those men's attention. His hand slowly slithered to the small of her back, leading her to his car._

 _He noticed she was all of sudden tense. She turned to face him, his hand landed on her shoulder, quite close to her neck. Looking at her, he broke apart and stepped away, giving her some space._

 _It was irritating how much he enjoyed touching her, even if it was the fleetest touch._

" _What if they find out... What if I..."_

" _They will not."_

" _But..."_

" _They will not find out. If you follow the plan accordingly it will ever get out of control."_

" _Fine. But if... Only if we screw up everything again and I end up married to you, my only wish is to have my honeymoon in Jeju Island. Deal?"_

 _As if he would let that happen…_

 _Opening the door for her, he put his sunglasses on and walked to his side. He spotted a paparazzi taking pictures of them in the parking lot. He had to remember to tell his secretary not to stop media from spreading he had had lunch his fiancée and if possible, to add any romantic background they wanted to. The more passionate Rukia and he could pass by, the easier it would be to fool his family when she broke up with him._

 _The thought of being the one dumped by a woman was pathetic. He was the one to bring his previous relationships to an end. Being discarded was almost a blow to his pride, if real, of course… Thankfully, Rukia was not one of his women, and he intended for her to remain that way._

" _Deal?" she asked once again once he started driving._

" _We shall not get married."_

* * *

"What will make you stick to three questions and wishes?"

Rukia bit her bottom lip, taken aback by his question. She expected everything but it. He would disagree — when did he ever agree with her? — of course, but she did not think he would actually say she was incapable of following rules.

She was confused.

He was confusing.

"I thought you would want to set rules. I don't know how I know it..." She frowned, it sounded rather confusing and senseless, "but you can't stand when things don't go your way so I thought that we could set some rules and..."

She stopped at his stare. It was not angry or judgmental as she again expected. It was somehow curious? Offended? Well… She could not just assume he would remain impassible when she told stuff about him based on what she thought she knew about him.

"Sorry?"

"You never follow the rules you set yourself. You always find a way to break them."

 _And you make me break my rules,_ he added only to himself.

"I…" Rukia looked at him, unsure of what to say. She wanted to say he was wrong, she knew how to stick to the rules, she was good at it, but he was her husband. He had lived with her for the past three years and technically at the present time he knew her better than she knew herself, right? "Sorry? I promise I won't break them now."

Byakuya knew he could not trust her. Each time she promised it, she always broke them nevertheless. Yet… yet, he was a fool. He could never say no to her.

"Very well…" he conceded, removing her bang from her face. No matter how much she had dried her hair in the car, it was still a bit wet. He then quickly tried to break apart, for he knew he should restrain from touching her, no matter how difficult it seemed, but she did not allow, holding his hand close to her skin. "Three questions and three wishes. No more than that."

She nodded and stepped away shortly after, a small smile gracing her lips.

"I-I… I should go back to the kitchen, the _chanko-nabe_ won't get ready alone, right?"

He nodded.

What had he gotten himself into?

* * *

He opened the third bottle of _soju_ and served them while the steam cooled down a bit. Sitting in front of each other, they remained in silence as Rukia handed him the chopsticks with trembling hands.

His eyes narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. Somehow he had a fair idea of what was going on inside her head.

"It's just… The food… I…" She bit her bottom lip. What if he found her food as horrible as Ichigo stated it to be? To dispel her insecurities, she emptied a glass of soju, a deep grimace covering her features.

Sensing her discomfort, Byakuya tasted the _chanko-nabe_ , chewing the pork meat slowly, taking his time. It felt like centuries since the last time they ate together homemade food.

"Is it edible?"

He nodded and continued to eat.

"You like my food?" Her eyes were widened. "You actually like my food?"

"Is that your first question?"

"No!" She sat rigid on the chair. If she wanted to fully take advantage of those three questions she would have to hold her tongue from now on. However, she could not suppress her curiosity. "I'm just surprised, that's all."

"Hn," he let out.

He understood what she meant. In fact, he quite disagreed with her idea of taking cooking classes, but his wife was as stubborn as he was. Once she made up her mind, there was no way he could convince her otherwise.

Comfortable quietness settled between them as they ate. The only sound was of the chopsticks hitting the bowl. The pouring rain outside was decreasing. Soon he could go home, it is if he had replied to all of her three questions and conceded to all of her wishes.

Again, what had gotten into him to give in? It was surely a crazy idea.

For the first time, he was afraid of what she would ask of him.

"Your questions, Rukia," he urged, placing down the chopsticks.

"I-I…" She choked, her eyes pretty much widened. He handed her some water, but instead she drank more _soju_. "I… Thank you… I just…"

"Rukia."

She inhaled sharply. Her heart beat so loudly, she was sure he could hear it too. She thought so much about it, but would he really reply to her? Would he be honest? Was she ready for his honesty?

Either way, she knew he would not be so willing to relive today. It was a miracle he consented to enter Inoue's house. She had no other choice. It was now or never.

"Do…" She bit her bottom lip, the blood pumping faster in her veins, "do you really want a divorce?"

Byakuya froze at her first question.

He expected a straightforward question, Rukia has always been straightforward with him, but somehow he never expected _this._

His first impulse was to lie. To say he indeed wanted a divorce, he never wanted anything so badly before in his life, but… but her crying voice just a few hours before in the torrential rain made him remain in silence.

 _No more lies… Please._

"I do not like repeating myself, Rukia." He emptied his glass just to have it filled once again by her. "We have already talked about it."

"No," she replied firmly. "I asked why you wanted a divorce before. Now I'm questioning you if you want it."

"Hn." He emptied another glass. Contrary to her expectations, his face did not contort into a grimace. It remained impassible. If he really wanted to leave, he should stop drinking now.

"You have to answer. You promised."

He glared at her. He was very much aware of his stupid promises. Scientists should study him and his amazing ability to always promise what he could not fulfill. They should study how he could firmly say no to everyone, but he never could when it came to her.

There was silence between them for a long time. They merely stared at each other intensely. After what seemed like hours, Rukia looked away, finally giving up, for he would not answer her at all. Why did she try in the first place?

It could only mean he wanted a divorce. He… He wanted it. He was just being polite, considerate of her feelings. Again, why did she feel so strongly for someone she could barely remember?

"No," he replied truthfully.

She turned her face so quickly to him, her head ached and her vision went black for a few seconds. Blinking a few times, she bit her bottom lip. Her head ached a lot. She should stop drinking. _Definitely._

"Then why?"

His eyes narrowed at her question.

"You just threw away your second question." He finished the bottle of soju, before she could serve herself once more. "It was already answered even before you asked."

"What?" Her eyes were widened. "Wait. No!" What was he saying? It was definitely not her second question. "It's not fair!"

"Life is not fair, Rukia." He rose up to leave. Their time was over. He had to go back to the penthouse. And as much as he knew he was under no condition to drive right now, he had even less conditions to stay near Rukia. "Nor I am."

"Stay please!" She ran after him, but lost her balance; her vision blurry. He caught her by the wrist, bringing her to the safety of his arms. "Ooops."

"You are drunk," he scolded with narrowed eyes. It was his fault, he should have declined her offer, he should have said no to her very first offer to enter her friend's house.

"So are you…" she whispered back, trying to break away from his embrace. He did not allow tightening his hold over her waist. She gasped, holding onto his broad shoulders. From this distance, she could feel his breath caressing her face; his clouded eyes piercing her very soul. How she wanted for him to lower his head just a bit more and kiss her… Rukia was no fool, however, she knew that if she did it herself, he would break away and leave her for good. And for good with her husband could mean he would be unwillingly to see her for the rest of her life. "Stay with me tonight. Please…" This time, he was he one to try to break away, but she held onto him, her voice no more than a whisper as she said, "It's my wish…"

"Rukia…" His tone had a hint of warning.

"You promised."

"And you just threw away your first wish."

"I know…" She bit her bottom lip. She was very much aware of it. But for an unknown reason, she could not stand the idea of spending that night alone in the bed. Not after that hellish day. She was afraid of closing her eyes and seeing her father's face. _If he stayed with her…_ If he talked to her, if he continued to intoxicate her very senses with his presence she would at least be able to sleep without feeling the emptiness she felt ever since she woke up at the hospital. "I know and I won't regret it."

A nod.

His response was a mere nod.

He knew it was a crazy idea. He knew it was wrong of him to hold onto her that way, to want to kiss her senseless and make slow, sweet love to her in that very couch, but at the moment, with his senses clouded by the alcohol, he could not think clearly.

"Why did we really get married?"

Her question dragged him out of his clouded, lusty thoughts. He blinked and the truth slipped past his lips before he could give it some contemplation.

"Because we were both fools."

"When did I fall in love with you?" Her voice was no more than a ragged, husky whisper.

"What makes you think you were ever in love with me?"

* * *

 _They got married within the next year. Early February 2013 had all the newspapers and tabloids announcing their union. Photographers and journalists from all the country came to see the famous couple._

The wedding of the century, _some of them said._ The wedding of the Queen and the Ice King, _others_ _said. Pictures of Rukia accepting the band ring graced the covers of tabloids. Newspapers announced how much profit his company made out from the marriage. It was the second time a very picture of them made his stocks skyrocket in the marketing._

 _A man of his word, their honeymoon took place in Jeju Island. He was still unaware why she chose such place. She could have chosen New York, Paris, London, Rome… A desert Caribbean Island or even a paradisiac beach in Brazil. He could take her anywhere — even if he would rather stay at home, working till the tender hours of the morning —, but she chose Jeju Island, a place as cold as Tokyo right now, if not colder._

 _He kept his promise of not touching her. Honestly, they barely saw each other. If not for sharing meals, they would not see one another at all. Byakuya spent his days — his grandfather stated they should stay two weeks out. He could barely believe he had to step down from his position because of that useless marriage Ginrei thought he needed so much — working, replying e-mails and arranging meetings with Korean partners. At least he did, for as soon as his grandfather realized what he was up to, he cut all of his accesses and he had not much of a choice if not staying with Rukia._

 _She did not seem happy to be all the time in his presence either. Actually, she said once or twice he could meet with whatever woman he wished, for she would not call him out on his actions. He narrowed his eyes at this. He was no cheater. And even if he never said he spent their weeding night alone — for he saw no reason to justify himself to her, as far as it concerned him, she could believe what she wanted — he was growing tired of her endlessly insinuations._

 _Clearly, he was not a man used to spend much time with a woman, but he was not a two-timing. And he expected she would follow his example. At least… At least until he found a way to get them out of that marriage._

 _Yet, as much as Byakuya wanted to find a way out, he knew it would be very difficult this time. Their plan worked quite fine. They had everything under strict control… They went on their weekly dates, he pretended to be falling in love just to be denied by her. She was the one to break off their engagement, stating she could not return his feelings. Hell, he looked miserable in front of his family in the following days after their break-up, but his grandfather managed to find out the truth._

 _Actually, Rukia's naivety denounced them. As clever as his Ginrei was, he played a quite cruel game with her, saying that her friend, Inoue Orihime, told everything about their fake relationship for the past months. Desperate — and cornered — she revealed all the truth to him._

 _He was furious when he discovered Rukia had fallen for his grandfather's tricks — for he knew there was no way she would tell Inoue Orihime of their plan. It was a secret she vowed to carry to her grave and he trusted her to that extend, but he could never forgive her for spoiling everything once more. For being so naïve and stupid._

 _Her excuse: she said she had not told about their relationship to Inoue Orihime sober, but who knew what she did when she drank? And she drank quite a lot because he was driving her mad with his demands._

 _It did not help the tiniest bit. It made him hate her even more._

 _Because of her careless action they were chained and if it depended on Kuchiki Ginrei, they were chained forever._

 _There were two choices, they either got married — with no possibilities of a divorce anytime soon — or he would have to step down of his position as the CEO of the Kuchiki Enterprises. As for Rukia, the school she worked at would be completely stripped off of the technological apparatus he gave her. He did not let his grandfather mention they were paying for her father's treatment in the most expensive Hospital in Tokyo, for he did not want her acting on the biased idea of paying him back._

 _As far as a personal threat worked reasonably fine with him, Rukia was fearless. She could deal quite well with every punishment Ginrei inflicted upon her. So instead, he decided to hit her where he knew it hurt the most: her students._

 _Now, in the twelfth day of their honeymoon, he was watching people chatting freely in the Charity Ball they were invited to in the_ Lotte Hotel _. By his side, Rukia smiled sweetly, albeit a bit nervous to those who approached them._

 _Although he was not working anymore thanks to the courtesy of his grandfather, he was still invited to a charity ball to take place in the Crystal Ballroom. Only representatives of technological companies were supposed to attend the event and being the CEO of the most important software company of the whole Asia he could not simply dismiss it._

 _For someone who begged him to be left alone in their room — needless to mention Ginrei had the_ Royal Suite Ocean _reserved for them — and complained a lot because she spent almost three hours in the company of hairstylist, manicure and make-up artists, she was doing quite fine herself engaging in conversation with most of his business partners._

 _Even if he was currently talking to the representative of Samsung about a possible and future partnership, he could not take his eyes off of her. She was not beautiful that night, she was…_ exquisite.

 _She was wearing a modern_ hanbok _designed_ _the famous Korean designer Lee Young Hee. The outer skirt was of a dark grayish color, while the strapless upper body was completely green. Her raven hair was decorated with two emerald_ dwikkoji, _placed by each side of her head._

 _Once again, it did not go amiss by him how she remained oblivious to other men's attention. Some of them flirted openly with her — not that some of the women did not do the same with him —, without her even realizing it._

" _Your young wife? The entire Asian press talked about you two… She is beautiful. How old is she? No more than twenty-one, I presume."_

" _Twenty-three," Byakuya replied. She had just turned twenty-three, as for him he had just turned twenty-nine. They were six years apart and while in the very beginning he could not see in her more than a child, now he could not say the same. She was a grown woman. A beautiful — annoying — woman he could not take his eyes off._

" _For a newbie, she is doing quite well herself. Her Korean is also pretty good."_

 _As a response,_ _a mere nod_ _._ _He did not know she was able to speak Korean himself. While it made sense why she insisted so much to come to a Korean Island, he was still thinking it was only to punish himself for being so harsh with her after they got back together._

 _He placed his champagne back to the table they were sharing when he heard her laughing at someone's joke. A man's joke. Excusing himself from the presence of the representative of Samsung, he walked to her._

 _At first, he thought he should feel nothing because she was enjoying herself. At least one of them should get some fun in that honeymoon of them, but he could not control the bad humor that washed over him as soon as he heard her laughter._

 _However, as soon as he approached her and the old American man to whom she was talking to, he realized that she was not having fun. On the contrary, she seemed quite aware of her surroundings and…_ nervous _. And by the prowler look in the man's eyes, it did not take a genius to notice what was going on. He thoroughly hated how western men thought Asian women were their property._

 _He narrowed his eyes and placed his hand on the small of her back, causing her back to meet his chest. In the same moment, the American bowed his head mechanically — and wrongly if he might add — and left them alone._

" _Let's dance," he murmured, his deep voice caused her to turn around to face him startled._

" _Byakuya-sama!" she replied, her stance much more relaxed now they were by themselves. She looked at his outstretched hand, however, with a confused frown, "I thought you did not like to dance…"_

" _Rukia, you talk too much."_

 _Embarrassed for being scolded in public, even if no one had heard them, she placed her hand over his and let herself be guided to the center of the ballroom, where he kept her for uncountable dances for the rest of the night._

 _It was late when both of them returned to their room. She felt dizzy and her toes hurt so much she had danced. Yet, she felt happy — the happiest she could be in the company of such an icy wall; the happiest she had been in days, or since their honeymoon began. She enjoyed dancing very much and she knew that if it depended on her husband, she would not have much of a chance to dance anymore._

 _With a sigh, she stepped out of the bathroom clad in a fluffy white robe, her hair now bare of ornaments and partially wet even after she had dried it with the drying machine. He was in the veranda, still wearing his_ Kiton _black tuxedo, pouring_ soju _in a small glass for himself._

 _For a man who said it was a cheap beverage, he drank it nonetheless. Actually, he seemed to enjoy it quite a bit._

" _It's too cold out here. Go back inside."_

 _She rolled her eyes at his remark._ As if he cared. _Approaching him, she controlled herself the best she could not to shiver from the chilly wind, but he yet noticed it. Ever the gentleman, he removed his jacket and placed it on her shoulders._

 _Rukia cleared her throat once and twice, but she could not bring herself to say what she must. To muster some courage, she got his glass from his hand, which earned her a quite hard glare, and poured some_ soju _for herself._

" _Thank you for tonight…" she whispered softly, making him stare at her intensely. "Thank you for saving me from that man… I-I…" She bit her bottom lip. "I know I could have saved myself, but I was afraid I would somehow embarrass you and myself in front of so many guests."_

 _There was no answer from his part. He continued to look at her in the eye, his face impassible. He retrieved the glass back and served himself another shot._

" _How can you drink it without grimacing?" she commented, trying to ease the atmosphere between them. Perhaps showing gratitude for his action earlier was not a good idea._

Hn _was his only response. As expected. She smiled and by shaking her head, she bowed her head lightly, indicating she was retiring for the night. However, before she could walk away, he held her arm, pulling her to him._

" _What?" she asked, unable to understand his sudden action. "Do you need some—_

 _She could not finish her sentence, for he placed his lips upon hers. Eyes widened, Rukia held onto the lapels of his tuxedo, unable to move away. He was… kissing her! He was bloody kissing her!_

 _Part of her knew she would break apart and put some distance between them, for he was clearly drunk. Her husband how vowed not to touch her would not do it out of nowhere. But the other half forced her to close her eyes and give in._

 _As his lips nibbled hers lightly, asking for permission in a sensuous caress, she could not help, but allow him in and kiss him back with everything she had. His hands moved to her back, bringing her closer, while hers shot to his neck, slender fingers tangling in jet black locks._

 _Kissing her was like heaven. It did not matter she tasted of bitter_ soju, _there was still something sweet about her lips and so very addictive. Just like in their wedding day, when he kissed her without warning, he found himself unable to stop kissing her now he had started._

 _Nonetheless, unlike their wedding days two weeks ago, his kiss was not as dominating and possessive this time. It was so slow and sensual, almost gentle. Something she never expected of a man as Kuchiki Byakuya._

 _She shivered. But not out of cold. The chilly weather outside was nothing, for his broad body sheltered her from the strong winds. She only felt completely warm and safe in his arms._

 _When he broke apart, she was panting. A white smoke coming from her swollen lips as she struggled to regain her breath._

 _He leaned again to capture her lips in another kiss, but she placed her fingers upon his mouth, keeping him apart. He eyed her with curiosity, but said nothing._

" _Please…" She fought her need to cry. She felt like a monster. She was, after all, betraying Renji… Renji, the only one she loved, the only one she could love. "Please… I beg of you… Don't do this anymore."_

 _Byakuya did not have enough time to reply. Hell, he did not even know what he could reply. In one moment she was kissing him back, pressing herself against him and in the next she was breaking apart, with watery eyes, as if he had done something completely horrible to her._

 _He rested his back against the balcony and stared at her form disappearing inside the anteroom and shutting the door of the bedroom behind her. He did not understand what had happened moments ago between them. But he was sure as hell he enjoyed the feeling of her pressed against him._

 _Kuchiki Byakuya would stop for nothing to pursue her._

* * *

He had no idea when she fell in love with him, but he was sure he was — if not already in love with her in their honeymoon — at least enchanted with her.

 _Bewitched._

His gray eyes moved from her violet ones to her soft lips. What he hated the most about those memories of them was the fact they always left him with the uncontrollable urge to kiss her.

To have her back.

And Byakuya hated what he could not control. Even if it was he himself, _his feelings._ He had always been a man to dispose of everything that could not be governable by him. Be it an employee, software he created himself or his previous lovers. Why it had to be different with Rukia?

More than that, why was he battling something so natural? They tried to cut by the root their attraction before and it did not work. Altruism had never been his forte, why did he want to make it work this time?

Holding her in his arms felt the most right thing he did in all of his tedious, boring life. Why did he want to let her go?

Perhaps it was the alcohol. He knew it was the _soju._ He was weak for it, but he indulged himself more than he should have that night. He indulged too much into her wishes... Into his own selfish needs to hold her once again.

 _I am happy here… With you…_

She said back in their vacation in Hida-Takayama.

 _I may not be able to remember all of you, but I know I was once happy._

She said that very afternoon back in the cemetery.

 _And do you think you can endure watching her happy with someone else… with Abarai or the Kurosaki boy?_

His grandfather said a few weeks ago.

The answer to his question was still no even after so many days. The answer would always be no.

Because he was Kuchiki Byakuya. He had always been a wretched, selfish man. Who was he trying to fool? He would always be a horrible man. Controller. _Pursuer._

Be damned his earlier thoughts. Be damned his frustrated attempts of altruism.

He has always been and probably would always be selfish.

Memories, as Doctor Unohana stated before could be created.

He leaned down to kiss her, his lips no more than a few millimeters apart. Her breath caught on her throat.

If Rukia could not remember him, then so be it.

Byakuya would make her fall in love with him all over again.

* * *

 **A/N – See? It ended far better than last chapter.**

 **Well… To know if he really kissed her or not, you will have to wait for chapter 7 ^^ Dunno when I'll be able to have it ready, though. Life has been quite crazy this first week of 2017, I worked a lot, it seems like 20 years took place in this very week. Seriously.**

 **Well… I'm very tired, so here goes a few things about the places/people mentioned.**

 **Lee Young Hee is a real Korean fashion designer. Check out her modern** _ **hanbok**_ **costumes. Her work is amazing and beautiful. Although I do know the parts of a** _ **hanbok,**_ **I decided not to describe it fully for I was afraid of describing something wrong/or not making justice to her awesome work.**

 **The** _ **Lotte Hotels and Resorts**_ **are also real and the same can be said about the Royal Suite Ocean and the Crystal Ballroom. Check them out. It's quite impressive. I chose Jeju Island as the place of their honeymoon to honor the several messages I receive from Korean readers. Hope you all like it. xD**

 _ **Argento Aso**_ **is an Italian restaurant in Tokyo. Although a bit expensive, the menu is amazing and it's also a Michelin star restaurant. Prices, room and menu, everything is on their site. Check it out.**

 **Now… A few things about Rukia not being a virgin anymore. I do not have any problem with virgins girls, I was a virgin myself once. Long time ago xD Not all virgins do expect romance or undying love, that is a common sense. That said, it's Byakuya's vision, not mine. I also don't think it's a problem to get married as a virgin, but as Remember is a story about second chances, I thought that perhaps I should also address the topic of Rukia not being a virgin anymore and let's be honest, there's nothing wrong with it. We don't have to be virgins to love or to be loved.**

 **Well… My biggest thanks to each one of you who add Remember to your favorites and follows and to each who took your time to review it. I know last chapter was not what you expected, but well… Life is not as we expect and I want Remember to feel as real as possible. I know this chapter doesn't feel as angsty as the others, but I wanted to show how they entered in their relationship.**

 **Also, I have no problem with Adam Sandler, but I wanted to have fun at his expense. xD As for Western men objectifying Asian women… Well, we do know it happens and happens a lot right?**

 **Lastly, would you review this chapter for me? Promise to have the next chapter up as soon as I can.**

 **Take care,**

 **Velvetsins**


	7. Genie is but a farce

**Hi, guys! xD**

 **So… I know I promised to update before and I totally intended on updating on Rukia's b-day, but guess what? real life got in the middle. Luckily, I managed to update today on Byakuya's b-day!**

 **To this chapter I can only thank Ludmilla, Flávia and Roberta who gave me tips on some of developments in this chapter. Love you all, girls! Thank you so much for your help.**

 _Seiza_ is a Japanese formal way of sitting.

 _Zabuton_ is a Japanese cushion.

 _Saikeirei_ is a Japanese bow in which the performer shows guilty when making mistakes or respect for someone of higher social status. It can be performed either standing or seated. In this case, they are seated.

 _Dogeza_ is an even respectful bow. It's also seen as the beg for your life bow.

 **Disclaimer: Kubo owns Bleach, I own this plot. All brands and places here mentioned are real and I don't own them. All OCs are mine as well.**

 **Warning: OOCness and I shouldn't say this but well… there's a small lemon as well. xD**

 **Happy reading!**

* * *

 _Remember_

 **Chapter 7. Genie is but a farce**

* * *

Byakuya closed his eyes for moment. His head hurt so much he had to take his time inhaling and exhaling.

He knew he was weak for alcohol yet he indulged. He knew he was weak for Rukia yet he indulged. He knew he was weak for her pleas yet he indulged once again.

A fool.

He was a fool.

Kuchiki Byakuya, the man who hated fools — he was allergic to them even — was a fool. The most foolish of them all.

He did not kiss her. Neither he did spend the night with her.

There was no mistake in it, he wanted it. He would kiss her. He wanted it so very much it hurt.

However, as soon as he leaned in to kiss her, her mobile phone rang.

Rang so loudly and insistently he cursed. The ever so respectful and self-controlled man cursed.

He was mad.

So very mad he almost crushed both of their cellphones into dust.

It earned him a laugh. A long, delicious laugh. She laughed so very hard he was suddenly mad at her.

While she could not remember what it was to be with him, to kiss him and touch him and be touched by him, he remembered it quite well and _hell,_ he missed her.

There was not a single day in which he did not recall how it was to hold her in his arms and make slow, tantalizing love to her. He missed the sensation of kissing her so thoroughly, she would complain later how swollen her lips were.

It was none other than Inoue Orihime, the weird friend, calling to check upon her and let her know she was on her way home with Ishida.

Part of him was mad they were interrupted, part was grateful they were.

Only Kami would know what he would have done if they were not. It was not past him the idea of doing more than kissing her and he knew that once he started he would met no resistance from Rukia's part.

To make love with his wife was mostly natural, but he knew they were absolutely not in the best terms right now. And he would not have her while she barely knew who he was and what he meant to her. What she meant to him.

Again, he was surprised at how much thoughtful of Rukia he could be. For a man who claimed to be a bastard — he knew he was and he never had a problem with it, he kind of enjoyed it — he always put Rukia's well-being before his own.

When he heard her friend was returning, he was quick to excuse himself and leave. Surprisingly — and disappointingly — she did not complain this time.

Sure, she looked a bit sad and insisted he should hire a cab, but she let him go nonetheless.

Byakuya being Byakuya, did not listen to her and instead drove by himself home. He had little conditions to do it, yet he did. The traffic was better now and thankfully he met no police officer on his way. He could foresee the breaking news next day if he got himself arrested for driving drunk.

Somehow, the idea seemed much better, for once he was kept away from Rukia he would stop doing what he should not.

Where did he have his head when he decided to have her back?

Thankfully, he never said it aloud, for now he almost regretted that decision.

 _Almost_.

"Byakuya." A firm voice coming from the entrance of the meeting room had him opening his eyes.

 _"Jii-sama,"_ he replied, looking at his grandfather. "What is the meaning of this urgent summoning?"

"I was kept in the darkness as well."

"Hn," he replied, siting in the _seiza_ position he kept for the past ten minutes.

As if not getting any sleep, because he surely did not, was not bad enough, he was urgently summoned by the Elders.

Even the CEO of the Kuchiki Enterprises could not say no to the council.

Now, dressed in an expensive and traditional navy-blue kimono with a white _haori_ with the symbol that represented his Clan and wearing the meaningful _Kenseikan_ , he sat in the middle of an empty, traditional room in the Kuchiki Compound, or as the Elders used to say, _Main House._

He still recalled the first time he had been there with Rukia by his side, they got the scold of their lives because Rukia let their little secret out.

She was afraid, so very much afraid, she pulled her _zabuton_ next to his, practically molding into him. Yet, she faced the Elders with head held high, her voice clear and unwavering as she replied all of their questions.

Albeit his disapproving feelings and disappointment towards her, that was the first time he was proud of her.

A few minutes passed by before the council of ten entered the meeting room and gathered around him and his grandfather.

"Byakuya-sama..." they said in unison, their heads bowed.

Then, one by one, they prostrated before the 28th Head of the Clan. Both he and Ginrei absolutely hated when they thought it was best to perform the _saikeirei_ before them, for it always meant something none of them would like was coming.

It felt like hours had passed before the ten of them finished their pathetic, reverent and traditional bows. When he was sure all of them were completely done with that private demonstration of regret — because he would make sure they regretted whatever it was they would be asking for —, he lost no time to say, "May I know the reason of this?"

"We are in such a hurry, are we not, Byakuya-sama?" Shichirō's humorless laughter filled the almost empty room.

As expected, he received no answer. There was only a hard glare coming from the Head. He simply hated how Shichirō thought himself to be above everyone else and how he tried to humor situations that did not had any hint of humor in it.

Haruko cleared her throat.

"We apologize for the inconvenience, Byakuya-sama," his great-aunt said unwillingly. "But it could not be avoided or prevented."

"And what do you mean by it?" Ginrei asked, looking at his grandson out of the corner of his eyes. "Is it that urgent that not even I, the representative of this council, could know beforehand?"

Haruko nodded.

"We..." Shichirō started, "I..." he corrected himself, "I apologize for being against the auditioning before, Byakuya-sama."

He bowed dramatically, his nose touching the wooden floor. All the Elders mimicked him. He closed his eyes, controlling his urges to ask of them to stop that pathetic play of _saikeirei._ Did they know they lost all their respect bowing so shamefully so many times for him? What about their pride? It could only be worse if they performed the dogeza. Gladly, none of them seemed to think about it.

"Will that be all?" Byakuya asked, annoyance getting the best of him. He barely could believe he was summoned in such a hurry to hear an apology he did not even believe in.

All of them still remained in the same position, which made Byakuya's annoyance grow. He did not have time for politic games right now. And he knew how much his great-aunt and great-uncle enjoyed playing them. Byakuya never believed in soul mates before, but if he was to believe, he would say the very meaning came from the old couple.

"No," Haruko was the one to speak now. "We also have a command."

"A command, not a favor..." Ginrei mused, still looking at his sister. "You surely grew bolder with each passing year, _imouto-san_."

He received a hard glare from his sister. Everyone knew how much she resented being two minutes younger than Ginrei. If not for that, she would be the one to head the Clan, not her onii-sama.

"We have only the best interests at heart, I assure you, _onii-sama_."

"Enough," Byakuya interrupted them, which earned him a hard glare from his great-aunt and a chuckle from his grandfather. Ginrei was surely in a good mood that morning. "Speak at once."

"Very well..." Shichirō wet his lips. "Our image has been thoroughly damaged with the last scandals and as one of the Four we cannot let it sink any further. Even the Fong family refuses to advance in our partnership."

"They shall reconsider as soon as the auditioning is finished," Ginrei interrupted him, as much annoyed as his grandson.

"They are considering a partnership with a Korean Enterprise."

His words caused an uncomfortable silence between all of them. Byakuya, however, remained impassible.

Ise Nanao, his efficient secretary, already knew all of this. Together, they were currently working on it. He expected to have good news to present the directors board soon.

 _You knew_ was the accusingly expression on his grandfather's eyes. He replied it with a single nod.

"The heiress, Soi Fong, is currently going through a divorce with her husband, Abarai Renji."

That was a piece of information he had no idea of. The last he knew about the loser ex-boyfriend of Rukia was that his wife was pregnant, not they were on the verge of breaking apart. Actually breaking apart, if that _going through a divorce_ was for real.

He narrowed his eyes, feeling what was coming his way. He did not like it the tiniest bit.

"Her father is very much interested in you. And once Rukia is no longer able to—

"Rukia-sama," Ginrei corrected them, casting a reproving glance at Byakuya for his stoic silence.

"Rukia-sama, of course, I apologize..." Shichirō continued for Haruko. "Since Rukia-sama is in no condition to remember Byakuya-sama and they are parted we all agreed..."

"We demand that a divorce takes place and an upcoming union and alliance with the Fong Family is forged." Haruko finished for her husband.

"No." Ginrei spoke, too shocked to even look at his grandson's stony face. "That is absolutely im-

Byakuya raised his fingers and at his gesture, the whole room fell silent.

"My private life shall remain as it is: private."

Shichirō chuckled. Haruko, however, was firm and emotionless as she spoke, "You do not rule alone, Byakuya. You have to follow what we agreed—

"Thought to be the best." Shichirō, always soft spoken, interrupted his wife. "We do not resent Rukia-sama, but she is in a frail condition right now and we think...

"You think she is no longer useful as my wife," Byakuya finished for him.

"I would not go to such lengths." Shichirō smiled.

"As you said, she is no longer useful as the Lady of this Clan," Haruko finished.

There was silence in the room for a moment as everyone waited for Byakuya's reply. Ginrei was partly afraid he would say he agreed to that divorce. It was not past his grandson to divorce his wife who could not remember him. It was what he wanted since the very beginning after all.

But he thought… He thought that after everything that they had been through he had come to love Rukia. At least to care about her.

Who wouldn't after watching him in his misery after her collapse?

It seemed he was totally wrong.

His foolish grandson stated he was not going to relive his own sins, but the more Ginrei thought about it the surer he grew he was going to let go of Rukia.

"I refuse."

"Byakuya!" Haruko looked at him dumbfounded, "You cannot possibly be ser—

"I am," he cut her off. "A divorce between us is not taking place anytime soon. And make no mistake, Haruko, I shall know if you approach _my wife_ with such proposition."

"Is that a threat?"

"Take it as you may." He was stared at by the council in shocked silence as he rose up from his _zabuton_ and left the room. "This meeting is now finished."

When he was in the exit, however, he looked at them over his shoulders.

"Do not waste your precious time plotting behind my back. Once I find it out, I assure you the punishment will not be light."

"You cannot punish the council. We exist to control and dictate the rules."

"Is that a challenge?" he asked back to receive no answer at all. _As expected_. He gave them his back. "There is a reason why I am the Head and you are not."

"Byakuya-sama..."

He did not look at the Elder talking to him, but stood still nonetheless.

"May we suggest then that you and Rukia-sama move back together as soon as possible?" The suggestion had the whole room gaping and gasping. Even he was thoroughly surprised.

"Daisuke!" Haruko called him, her face completely red with anger.

The elder paid her no attention and continued in his soft, low voice, "I believe that for the sake of both your reputations you should not remain parted anymore."

Byakuya looked at Daisuke out of the corner of his eyes. He was one of the oldest Elders and the most kind too. Probably the only one who did not hate Rukia and her background.

"Within the next two weeks Rukia is moving back to our penthouse. And Haruko..." He watched his great-aunt raising from her sitting position. "Your presence will be no longer necessary in the Spring Festival. Rukia shall accompany me as the _only_ Lady of the Kuchiki Clan."

He did not have to look at her to know she was fuming. Somehow, the very idea brightened his very cloudy day.

* * *

 _Her head hurt. Hurt very much. The moment she opened her eyes she could not help but curse._

Dammit _._

 _How much did she drink last night? How much she let herself indulge?_

 _For someone as young as herself, barely completed 24 years, she had been drinking too much since she met — and even more since she got married to — Byakuya._

 _The Ice King made her life a living hell. How she hated him. Hated their growing attraction. Hated how she could no longer say no to him when he kissed her so thoroughly and swept her off of her feet._

 _Hated that even though she fought it fiercely she fell in love with him._

 _Last night she confessed it. She drank so much in the party, for she was so mad he was paying more attention to a beautiful lady of mischievous golden eyes than her, his own wife, she ended up saying something as tacky and cheesy as_ I know I sound stupid, but I love you.

 _I love you._

 _Arrrgh!_

 _She could barely believe herself, she could hardly believe she said the three forbidden words. To Kuchiki Byakuya nonetheless._

 _And she fell asleep in his arms._ Fell. Fucking. Asleep _._

 _What bothered her the most was the fact she knew that it would never be reciprocated._

 _There was no way he would ever feel the same._

 _When and why did she stop loving Renji? Part of her did not want to even consider the answer. Renji deserved her love even less than Byakuya. Once again, it was all his fault she fell in love with another man._

 _If she was a rational woman, she would hate both of them. One of them destroyed her happiness by letting her go and the other chained her to a happiless marriage._

 _Hate them with all her heart._

 _She sat on the mattress and realized she was still wearing the same dress of last night. The bluish off shoulder_ Oscar de La Renta _ball gown albeit messed and crumpled, fitted her perfectly._

 _Taking a sharp intake of breath, she sat on the edge of the bed and outstretched her arms._

 _At the bedside table there was a glass filled with water and a headache pill._

 _Oh how she hated how difficult he made it for her to hate him._

 _Looking at her mobile phone — her_ Sony Xperia E _still, she refused to get rid of it, she did not even know why —, she cursed as she saw the late hour. Past 9 a.m._

 _Thankfully it was Saturday, a day in which her husband would probably be off working, while she spent her entire time planning her next classes, reading and rewriting the project she wanted to make her master's thesis. If any of the Universities accepted her, of course._

 _With soft steps, she approached the closet, intending to fully get rid of that gown and take a shower. All the way she massaged her temples, unable to understand why she indulged so much when alcohol was related._

 _Oh and that tacky confession._

 _When did her feelings change? Why did they change? Thinking carefully, there was no plausible answer for that. Kuchiki Byakuya was a bastard and she hated people like him, yet whenever she saw him or talked to him now she could not help the butterflies dancing in her stomach. Needless to mention what she felt whenever he kissed her. The fleetest touch had her in paradise._

 _Even if she felt something for him couldn't she keep her mouth shut? Her careless words would render her in big trouble one of these days._

 _Her soft steps brought her to the closet — and she could not help but wonder why he placed her on his bed._

 _Since the beginning of their marriage she slept in a guest bedroom and since they became intimate, although they used both of their bedrooms — sometimes other parts of the penthouse too and the very thought had her blushing — they never slept together, one of them would always leave after they were done. There was only one time she could recall in which they slept together after making love — sex, she had to correct herself, a man such as Kuchiki Byakuya did not make love to anyone — rendered them a very awkward morning — and rest of the week too if she was to be honest._

 _So it made really no sense to wake up in his bed. Did he... she gulped, did he sleep with her as well?_

No _._

 _The answer was quick._

 _He probably slept somewhere else or did not sleep at all. The second option seemed more plausible the more she thought about it. Her husband was not a man to put other's well-being above his own._

 _She shook her head and looked ahead, but stopped as soon as she spotted him in the middle of the closet, a white towel hanging loosely on his hips._

 _He was back turned to her, droplets of water running down his muscular back — and she bet the chest too. She wet her lips and drew in a sharp intake of breath._

" _Oh... You are here... Morning..."_

 _There was silence between them for a moment as Byakuya looked at her over his shoulders. She was still wearing the same gown of last night._

 _He let go of the clothes he was selecting right now and walked to her. His firm steps made her step backwards till her back met the mirror in the wall._

 _Rukia looked away as he walked, completely embarrassed. She did not even know why she was running from him._

 _It was surely a bad move, for she was rendered with memories of them having deep, hard sex against that very wall not even a week ago. He was so exigent with her, so demanding, she slept for a huge part of the day after they were done. As for him, he missed a very important meeting in that Monday morning._

 _She could not recall of a better way to start a week._

 _Her breath became heavy as the remembrance of them tangled against the wall replayed in her mind. He seemed to know what she was thinking about, for a sparkle took over his usually emotionless gray eyes._

" _Turn around," he commanded, invading her personal space. "Let me help you remove this."_

 _A nod was the only response she could muster as she did what she was told to._

 _His hands were firm and warm on her back as he worked to have her free of the dress._

 _She bit her bottom lip, not really sure of what to do or to say._

Did you sleep well?

Isn't it a good, beautiful morning?

What do you want for breakfast?

Are there too many meetings today?

Would you like me to help you with your tie again?

 _All of those seemed bad questions to ask. Too awkward. Too... She did not even know how to put it._

 _She was almost naked, except for the equally blue underwear, when the words slipped past her lips._

" _I apologize for what I said yesterday."_ Shit. _She said it. She fucking said it. Her words had him looking at her through the mirror._

" _Rukia." His deep voice had a hard edge. He did not want to talk about it. Of course he did not. He always warned her not to be a needy wife and there she was, expecting..._ No. _Not expecting,_ hoping _he could feel the same._

 _Her heart became little at the tone of his voice. He should hate her right now. She hated herself._

 _However, even if aware he did not want to talk about it, she bit her bottom lip and continued, "I... do not expect you to say anything or to feel anything, I just..."_

 _She turned to face him. It did not matter she was almost naked in front of him. For once she did not feel ashamed of her current state. All she could see right now were his emotionless, icy gray eyes._

" _I am sorry for saying what I said and I apologize for embarrassing you in front of so many people."_

 _His eyes were still hard as he removed the bang from her face. The fact she could not read any emotion made it all the more difficult._

" _I promise not to talk about it anymore and I will understand if you can only hate me. I do not expect you to ever return my fee—_

 _She stopped all of sudden, realizing she was confessing herself all over again even after she had just said she would not._

" _I am sorry. I-I..."_

 _She closed her eyes and made her way to leave._

Pathetic.

 _She was utterly pathetic._

 _All Rukia wanted at the moment was to disappear forever. Digging a hole and falling into it would never be enough. She just needed to disappear._

 _However, before she could go anywhere, he held her wrist and pulled her to him. Her soft breasts molding against his hard chest._

 _In a fraction of a second, his lips were over hers in an overpowering kiss._

 _Rukia could not help but kiss him back, her fingers finding its way to his broad shoulders, a delicious shiver perpassing her entire body as he nibbed her lips._

 _Usually, his touches were sensuous, sometimes slow or fast, but always thought-out, as if he was in complete control of everything that was happening. Contrary to her, his pleasure was always controlled, never wild or unrestrained. However, this time, he was deep, passionate and..._ gentle _with her._

 _It startled her at first and she could not help but break apart._

" _What? I-I..."_

 _The words died on her mouth as he lifted her and forced her to wrap her legs around his waist._

 _She knew what he wanted and she wanted it too, but not..._ not that way _._

 _Not if he acted like he pitied her for falling in love with him. Not as if he was giving her some kind of consolation for feelings that would never be returned. Because she knew it would be easier for Kuchiki Byakuya die and reincarnate into a fluffy little rabbit than learning to love her._

 _She closed her lids and let him kiss her once again. The soft touches of him forced her to control her tears._

 _His harsh words or cold demeanor never hurt as bad as these light caresses of his._

 _She was so focused on keeping her tears at bay, she barely noticed she bit down his bottom lip along with hers. When he breathed into her mouth more harshly, she opened her eyes._

" _I'm sorry. I didn't me—_

" _It does not matter," he replied, placing her on the bed, his broad body over hers; the white towel long gone._

 _He removed the bang from her face and looked at her, his gray orbs filled with some emotion she could not identify, but that had her heart sore and little._

 _She looked away as he filled her, a gasp leaving her lips. It was always an amazing sensation when they became one. This time however, all it brought — all it could ever bring — was pain._

 _Not physical pain. Her body still sang and rejoiced at their perfect joining. It was totally emotional and so deep it made her blink to prevent the tears._

 _She always dreamed of making love to him, but in the actual circumstances, all she wanted was for him to have sex with her. No feelings. No compassion. No sweetness. Zero care._

 _The last she needed right now was his pity._

 _She was in love with him, not dying — even if loving him was like loving the death. What a greedy man such as himself could know of love? Of her feelings?_

 _It was not all._

 _It was not only the way he was touching her, but the fact he was indeed touching her._

 _Rukia knew that in order to supress those feelings they should remain parted. She should stop him, but she could not help but look back at him and moan as he started moving his hips in that tantalizing way he knew that affected her so badly._

 _She sank her nails on his shoulders and accepted his kiss with all her being._

 _Now she knew that it was not pity. He did not pity her. A man such as Kuchiki Byakuya pitied nobody. It was rather a punishment._

 _Yes._

A true punishment.

 _And that is why it hurt._

 _It should hurt._

 _A punishment for falling in love with him, for being the needy wife that he warned her not to be._

 _For falling for him when he warned her not to._

 _It was so clear now._

 _He was giving her a sample of what it would be to make love to him at least once, because it would never happen anymore._

 _She was a fool._

 _How could she not see where he was going with those touches of his? How could she think of pity? At the moment, she did not know which hurt the most. Punishment or pity?_

 _At least, punishment suited him better. It was so alike her husband it hurt._

 _And it was a shame that even knowing all of this she was in such state of lust. That she could meet his every trust and let him entwine their fingers together, like only a passionate couple would do. That she could chant his name and rejoice every single time his lips met her skin._

 _He worshipped her entirely and he was so caring it made her eyes burn with the need to cry._

Monster.

 _Byakuya was a monster._

 _He knew how much it hurt her and yet he continued to inflict such pain._

 _At least soon they would be done and he would leave her alone._

 _But he did not._

 _When both of them reached paradise for the last time, he did not move away from her. He remained atop of her body, his ragged breath caressing her sensible and castigated neck; their fingers still entwined._

 _He moved just a little in order not to crush her, his fingers brushed the hair from her face tenderly and this time she could not hold back the tears from her face._

 _It hurt._

 _Hurt so much she thought the million pieces of her heart would never be mended back._

" _Why?" She snapped his hand away, her eyes blurred with the tears._

 _There was no answer from his part. He looked at her as if trying to understand what got into his wife to act so out of character._

" _W-Why?" she asked once again. "Do you hate me so much you have to punish me like this?"_

 _Silence._

 _Utter silence._

 _Rukia's heart broke even more as he wore the emotionless mask of his._

 _Shaking her head, she forced him to the side and sat on the bed, the sheets wrapped back around her torso. The usually shy girl back to place._

" _Rukia," he said, trying to hold onto her wrist, she snapped his hand once again however._

 _She walked to their bathroom, the sheets around her body, covering all of her from him. She was ashamed. Utterly ashamed she gave in in such state._

 _When she neared the entrance, she looked at him over her shoulders, her eyes watery and her little nose red._

" _I am sorry I feel what I feel for you, but..." She gulped. " Please, please don't do this to me anymore. I beg of you."_

 _Unknown to her, her words left a very stunned Byakuya behind._

* * *

"Are you quite fine, Rukia?"

Rukia blinked a few times and looked at the woman in front of her. The same gorgeous lady with mischievous golden eyes from her remembrance stared back at her with a concerned expression.

"Y-Yes..." she replied meekly and accepted the glass of water the impossibly tall butler served her. "Thank you, Tessai-dono."

"You are welcome, Rukia-sama."

"Please, drop the _dono_ , Rukia. He doesn't like it at all."

"Oh..." She looked at the man in front of her, her face red with embarrassment, "I apologize."

"There is no need to, Rukia-sama. All is forgiven." He bowed reverently and left both of them alone in the immense living room.

Busy with the glass, she took her time to analyze the living room. Old and new molded perfectly into an amazing decoration. She wondered if her home at Minami-Azabu was nearly magnificent as Yoruichi's.

She needed some room to breathe and at the moment, she would be eternally grateful if the woman left her alone for a second.

After having met her in the school she was applying to a job vacancy, the woman invited her to her house. Rukia knew she was a close friend of her husband — the Shihōin Family was after all one of the Four Big Clans in Japan —, she could not say no to her, not even if she did not recall her at all.

In fact, that was a good opportunity to know more about her closed husband.

What she did not expect was for such a powerful memory to take hold of her as soon as they arrived at the woman's house.

Her heart was in million pieces right now and she could not really catch a grasp of what happened between them.

Did it really happen? Did it happen that way? Or she was so keen to judge him she could not see the truth in front of her very eyes?

All she knew about her husband told her he was quite capable of punishing her that way, but a small part — the hopeful, naïve Rukia — was sure it was only a misunderstanding. He indeed made love to her — not only had sex with her — that day and she thought, _hoped,_ they made love million times after.

"I should go..." she said, looking at the woman in the eye. "I need to."

"Why are you in such a hurry? Why not wait for Byakuya-boo?"

Rukia frowned at the nickname. The idea of someone calling her grownup, powerful and so self assured husband as a reckless kid both stunned and amused her.

Did he know of that?

"He knows and hates it," Yoruichi replied and threw her head back, laughing loudly. "He was a careless, impulsive kid. That's why I gave him the nickname."

"Oh..." Was all Rukia could muster. She was secretly amused and glad to know he was not the icy wall everyone expected him to be — she expected him to be.

At least, it justified why she thought he joked in her notes kept in the blue folder.

"Do you really want to go?"

Rukia knew that she should, but she was not really sure she wanted to.

Perhaps if she stayed with Yoruichi a bit more, she could hopefully learn more about the man behind the public façade. She knew and till now she met Kuchiki Byakuya, the entrepreneur, the CEO, the Ice King, but she barely could cast a glance at Byakuya, her husband, the man whom she fell in love with, the human of flesh and bones.

Shaking her head, she let herself relax in the comfortable couch and said,

"Tell me more about Byakuya, my husband, not the CEO Kuchiki Byakuya."

Part of her was hurt another woman knew more about her husband than she herself. The other had her afraid and wondering. Did she really know the man whom she lived with for three years? Perhaps it was not only about lost memories, but something that never existed.

Which would hurt the most? To lose something dearly or to never have had it at all?

She was jealous. Either way, at the moment Yoruichi knew so much more about her husband. She knew of his qualities and flaws — real flaws not just those pointed by the media — while all she had was a few painful memories of a far away past.

Or was it not so far away? Perhaps it was her everyday life... No. It had to be a far away, forgotten past. No one lives for almost four years together and remain the same. She changed. He changed. They changed together. If she learned to love him, he probably learned to love her as well, right?

 _Right?_

She could not even consider otherwise. She had to believe in a fairytale. She needed to.

Rukia shook her head and watched Yoruichi serving both of them a small dose of Scottish whisky with a grin.

"It'll be my pleasure," she said and sipped the brownish drink, "I just don't know if he will be fine with it. You know... He enjoys upholding that perfect image of his of the Ice King." Still smirking, she shrugged, "Well, he'll survive."

"He'll survive," Rukia repeated her words and founded that albeit her jealousy crisis, she could smile easily in the company of Yoruichi.

* * *

Byakuya rested his head against the headrest as soon as he entered his purple Rolls-Royce Wraith.

It hurt so much he had to take two pills at once. It helped very little he did not get any sleep last night and that he had that hellish meeting with the Elders so early in the morning before he even had a properly chance to have breakfast.

 _We demand that a divorce takes place._

Who the hell did they think they were to boss him around? To tell him what to do with Rukia and their relationship?

There was a reason why he was always careful with his relationships, he hated when people started meddling in his affairs.

It did not matter he was never serious about any of them before. It did not matter he never came close to feel for them what he felt for Rukia, he still despised anyone who thought that could tell him what to do.

 _She is no longer useful as the Lady of this Clan._

Of course his great-aunt would say something like that. If it was for her liking, he would be married to Soi Fong right now, probably locked in a happiless marriage with two children.

The perspective was terrible.

There was only one woman to whom he ever thought about having children with and at the moment the Council wanted her far away from him.

He placed the key on the ignition and left the huge Kuchiki Compound expecting he did not have to return any time soon.

Even aware of the fact he still had lunch scheduled with the devilish couple, he decided to turn back home.

His moment alone, however, did not last for soon Yoruichi's cheerful voice sounded loud and clear in the car.

"Were you thinking of me? Because I was just thinking of you, Byakuya-boo."

Eyes still fixed on the road, Byakuya pressed his fingers more forcefully on the steering wheel. He hated when she called him that.

As he did not reply, she continued, "You can't imagine to whom I was just talking to."

"It is none of my business," he replied aloofly, stopping at the red light. "Listen, I shall be late for lunch."

There was a laugh at the other end of the line, which caused him to look at the red light annoyed. He still wondered why he felt some kind of respect for the woman and her terrible antics. He should just leave her waiting for him without further explanations. But then she would make his life a living hell and he prided himself so much in his quiet, peaceful life.

"If you don't care about your cute little wife, then that's fine with me..."

Her words had him stepping harshly on the brake. The car came to a halt too quickly, causing the driver behind him to honk and curse him like crazy.

"What did you do to Rukia?"

There was only laugh from her part. A long, loud and delighted laugh.

"If you did—

"Calm down, Byakuya-boo!" she said between sharp intakes of breath. "I just talked to her. We met at the Shiba School and well... I brought her home and told her some dirty secrets of your childhood..."

"That is absolutely unforgivable," he replied, his voice harsh and unsympathetic. Yet, both of them knew he was somehow relieved it was all that happened.

He stepped on the accelerator again and looked straightly at the man who cursed him for stopping all of sudden before as he passed him and his peasant car.

"Is she there with you right now?"

"No. She left..."

He remained silent at Yoruichi's response, annoyed at himself for feeling so disappointed. He somehow thought about meeting her at the devilish woman's house and then driving her home afterwards.

"She went to your house."

If he was a lesser man, he would have stepped on the break once again. But Kuchiki Byakuya did not overreact a second time around in so little time.

Instead, he stepped on the accelerator and drove faster, passing on the red lights when he neared his neighborhood.

"I probably encouraged her to know her own house..."

There was silence from his part as he parked his car in the building.

"You will pay me back, Shihoin Yoruichi."

He removed his sunglasses and entered the VIPP elevator that went direct to his penthouse.

"You'll thank me later, Kuchiki Byakuya-boo."

* * *

Rukia did not even know what she was doing at his house. _Their house,_ she corrected herself. It was much as hers than it was his.

Probably she lost some part of her mind with what Yoruichi called _the dirty secrets of Kuchiki Byakuya infancy_. Overall, she was glad she indulged. She learned a few precious details about her husband she would figure a lifetime to learn again.

The empty and large corridors were visually strange to her. It was quite weird to step into a house that once belonged to her — for three years to be exact — and all of sudden find it completely erased from her memories. The feeling — and that strong feeling was somehow confusing — of belonging, however, was powerful.

In her heart, she could not help but feel like this place was not just her house, but her home. She belonged there. She truly did. But her mind… Her rational side could not help but wonder… Were those happy or sad days? Did she find happiness in that house with her husband?

Her steps came to a halt as soon as she heard the sound of running water. She found herself facing the most beautiful courtyard garden she had ever seen. It was surrounded by walls made of glass. She quickly realized the sound came from the small and traditional fountain, but it was also raining outside. If not for this space in the gigantic house, she would not have noticed it.

Feeling all of a sudden too much tired, Rukia placed her palm on the glassy wall and let herself rest her forehead against it. Whenever she thought about her husband or her lost memories she felt drained. _Exhausted._ Looking over to a seat to lean on, she closer her eyes for a moment.

It was peaceful like this. The sound of the rain outside was rather calming. She enjoyed it quite a lot, but the feeling of emptiness was too overwhelming.

There was something… Something she wanted so badly to remember. Something about them. About them living in that house… Something sad, happy… She just needed something. _Anything._ Something to grab fiercely and reassure herself, to put her hopes on…

 _You have no idea where you are placing your hopes on._

Her violet eyes shot open at the remembrance of his deep, harsh voice. There was so much pain in it. So much pain… A pain that matched or even surpassed hers. She may not remember him, but he did remember her and for him to wish so desperately that she forgot him…

 _I hope you never recover your memories of us._

Pain.

Again. There was so much pain in his voice.

 _Were we that unhappy?_

She looked to her left and found a picture of her holding a small bunny. She did not even need to look at what she wrote behind it to know there were a date and a few words in which chappy bunny surely starred at. Slim fingers slid over this very portrait placed above the end table. Beside it there was a small daruma doll with one eye painted. She knew it to be hers, for it was ridiculous to think her husband, the almighty Kuchiki Byakuya, would have one, let alone make a wish upon it.

As if afraid of touching it, she brushed her tips on the lucky charm and broke apart quickly.

"What did I wish for?"

Part of her wanted to know… Part of her did not. What if she wished for something she never had… such as happiness?

 _Were we that unhappy?_

Shaking her head, she walked to the end of the corridor and the courtyard garden and ended close to what she realized was the guest bedroom — or her bedroom, if her earlier remembrance was right — close to it there was a much larger chamber which she concluded could only be his bedroom — their bedroom.

A bit afraid, she entered it with light steps. The gigantic bed was perfectly made, which made her realize he did not sleep there. Perhaps, just like herself, he did not sleep at all last night. She did not lose much time looking at it and headed to the closet.

Tons of high branded clothes, both masculine and feminine, greeted her. From Carolina Herrera to Yuki Torii there were more pieces than she could count. She bet she could buy a brand new house in a good neighborhood if she sold all of her dresses. Only the dresses. The Oscar de La Renta gown she wore for the Summer Charity Ball was still there as well the impossibly high heels she wore that night.

Nonetheless, what stood out the most was not the expensive clothing, but a blue folder nested in the middle of section with only jewelry. She approached it, fully intending to get it back, but stopped and bit her bottom lip.

Last time her husband took it so unceremoniously from her, she was partly afraid he would do the same this time around.

"No." She pursed her lips into a thin, firm line. "I won't let him. It's mine. These are my memories."

She opened it again and was greeted with the same picture taken from the tabloid _Nikkei Gendai_. They were dancing and she was smiling so naturally in his arms.

… _very happy indeed…_

But why those clippings were so different from the memories she recalled? Why were them so sad and heart-clenching? Why did they hurt her? Why weren't they light and happy as the ones she kept in the blue folder?

Were those images of what she wanted them to be? Of what she dreamed of them in a near future? Were they that unhappy she collected fake pieces of them just to make her heart feel lighter?

No.

She shook her head.

It was not true.

If they were that unhappy her father… His grandfather… They would not allow them together, right? They would allow a divorce. Hell, she would flee from him, she would hide herself, she would go through hell to be rid of him if that was the case.

 _He is a fool, but he loves you._

Ginrei-sama said it. He really said those words and he meant that. She believed him. There was some part of her husband that albeit willing to let her go loved her.

"These memories… I want them back…" she whispered softly to nothing. To herself. To a God or another deity who could grant her wish. A tear sliding down her face. "I want them back."

Her moment, however, was over as soon as she heard a sound coming from the living room — more like keys placed on a table. She lost no time to dry her face — hell, she did not even know she was crying — and to put the blue folder on her Prada backpack.

Her heart was thundering in her chest as she headed towards the living room. She did not mean to escape, she went to his house — their house — to meet him after all — for she was sure he would not go looking for her after last night and all that transpired between them for a quite while, and while with her husband could mean weeks or months, such a cold jerk — but she could not control her racing heart, nor the blood pumping faster in her veins.

Rukia just needed some time to recompose herself and come up with some sort of excuse for invading the house without further notice. And she realized how ironic it was to notice someone of an invasion.

She had no such luck, however. As she was leaving the room, he was entering it at the same time. For a moment, none of them said anything, but his narrowed eyes were more than enough.

He was mad.

Mad at her.

When he spoke, his tone was so icy it made her shiver.

"You should not be here."

* * *

He knew where she was. His young wife was so predictable. He wanted to let her know he was coming, so he placed his keys noisily on the coffee table in the living room.

Part of him wanted to see what lies she would come up with this time — she was a horrible liar and he thoroughly enjoyed when she tried to lie to him — the other part knew he was doing it for he was afraid of scaring her.

With her heart disease, it was not safe to scare her at all — and he knew his harsh demeanor had scared her quite a handful of times. He hated it when he both hurt and scared her. Where she was concerned, there was so much about him and his behavior that he hated.

But even knowing that, Byakuya could not prevent the cruel words from slipping past his lips. And just like always, he meant it. She should not be there. Definitely.

His wife, however, did not seem to have heard him, for all she said while stepping backwards was a very awkward, "Oh... You are here..." And as he stepped frontwards, she could not help but relive the painful memory of that morning. "Afternoon..." she said quietly, trying to hide the bitterness that took over her soul.

Before her eyes, another memory unfolded. It was much lighter and happier.

They were in the same position — except that both of them were wearing only their towels, skin glimmering with droplets of water and black hair soaking wet — and she was holding a pillow, more like hugging it as if to defend herself instead of attacking him. Her laughs were loud and delighted.

 _Wait! No! I apologize. I will never do that anymore, Kuchiki-sama._

It took him little effort to get rid of that pillow and invade her personal space. It took her even less effort to lace her legs around his hips and kiss him thoroughly; her hands slithering on his sculpted chest and going southwards, touching him below the navel just to tease him and go back to his shoulders.

He groaned in frustration against her mouth. He was so much aroused. Hell, she was aroused.

 _You shall be punished, Kuchiki Rukia._

Heavens above, she loved when he called her Kuchiki Rukia in that deep, husky and seductive voice of his. It made her skin tingle with pleasure. But there was more to it. Whenever he addressed her with her married name, it brought a sense of belonging she never felt in her whole life.

Hell, she loved him. Every single part of him.

Her breath was completely ragged as she replied between moans — she loved even more when he rotated his lips in that slow, scandalous sex simulation of his.

 _I love it when you punish me._

If she was not so much focused on the wonders his mouth over her dampened skin or his hands freeing her from the towel and kneading her perky breasts so thoroughly, she would have noticed the small, convinced smirk on his lips as he broke suddenly apart.

 _We are having dinner at Yoruichi's house. Get ready. You have thirty minutes._

She blinked furiously as he left her to stand on her shaky, weak legs; a confused expression on her heated face.

 _What? Why? You can't be possibly serious, Byakuya!_

There was never a reply as he disappeared in the closet.

Instead of making her feel at ease, it only brought a confusing sensation. Which of the two couples were they really? Which one were the two of them right before she lost her memories?

Were they ever happy or everything about them was always physical? While it may have felt amazing to have sex with him in each spot of that gigantic house, it would also have been empty, right?

They had to be more than compatible in bed. _They had to._ The mere thought of having a relationship that only fulfilled her physical needs brought pain to her heart.

He seemed to have noticed she was in some distress, for he lost no time to put some distance between them.

"How did you enter here?"

"What? she asked back, utterly confused. It was not the question she expected. "I don't unders..."

"The password," he said, heading towards the closet. She followed him closely behind, so much stunned at the small memory she almost missed his different looks.

Instead of an expensive, high branded suit, he was wearing a navy-blue kimono, with a darker _hakama_ ; a white _haori_ placed over his shoulders. In the back, it had the symbol of the Kuchiki Clan printed. A huge and black camellia stood out.

She bit her bottom lip as she tried to recall the meaning of such flower. _Noble reason_ , or so she read somewhere in the blue folder before.

All about him was ever about nobility?

He also wore hairpieces she fought hard to remember, but quickly recognized them as a kenseikan — members of the Kuchiki family have been known to wear Kenseikan in their hair, which symbolized their nobility as one of Four Noble Families or so she also read somewhere in the blue folder.

He took off the silver-white scarf he was wearing, a family heirloom so expensive she would question herself if she was not mad to love a man who had a _fucking_ scarf that could feed hundreds of families for years and more years.

"Rukia," he called over his shoulders as he started removing the kenseikan.

"The password, of course..." She bit her bottom lip again. "I didn't know it. I just tried some aleatory numbers?" _More like the day we got married or some ridiculous thing like that,_ she completed in her mind.

"Hn," was all he let out as he left the kenseikan alone — after having her doing it for him for the past three years he lost practice; the same could be said about his ties — and removed the _haori_ and proceeded to the kimono.

He stopped as he felt her eyes on his back.

"Rukia."

"Y-Yes."

"You are allowed to leave."

Even though he could not see, he bet she bit her bottom lip out of both anger and embarrassment. She simply hated when he ordered her around, but it was not in him to politely ask her to leave him alone while he changed his clothes.

"Of course..." her reply was almost a whisper as she retreated.

Part of him hoped she would leave, the other half expected to hold her tight in his very arms. After that hellish morning, he wanted nothing more than to breathe in her calming presence. It still surprised him how much at peace he felt whenever he was with her.

His chaotic and tiring routine evaporated whenever he came back home and was greeted by her — or actually joined her in their bed, for he was mostly too late to get her awake.

However, as much as he wanted to hold her again, a very serious conversation had to unfold between them. His head throbbed at the very thought.

He fisted his hand but instead of hitting the wall as he so wished, he held himself back and opened his palm flat against the hard surface. His gray eyes stopped immediately on the golden band he still kept in spite of the hellish month they had been through — he never thought possible to remove it from his finger even if they got divorced one day. Hanging on his neck, as if it was a necklace, her ring nested safely.

Even if he thought it was too hushed, that he should take his time with her, they came to a point in which he should give Rukia's band back and move her back into not only their house, but his life as well.

He just needed to figure out how.

* * *

"I know I should not have invaded… I just…" She looked up at him from where she was kneeled at. "Don't you have any food?"

He closed his eyes at her confused face. He could not even begin to tell how much she tired him out when she started lecturing him on how little he ate. He wondered how she found the kitchen without getting lost in the first place. Did she recall something?

"What kind of house doesn't have food? There is only sparking water and beer in the the fridge. No veggies, fruits or meat. Are you even eating?"

An inaudible sigh left his mouth. It was tiring to have her complaining about his eating habits, but somehow comforting and so homely he felt the edgeof his lips curving up ever so slightly.

"I do eat."

"Not at home I can tell."

"No…" he conceded. "I eat at the office."

"But you drink at home," she said and he nodded. "Quite a lot, I can tell." She shook her head. "You should not drink that much if you are not eating, Kuch—" she stopped in the middle of her sentence, lowering her stare to her toes and biting her bottom lip. "Byakuya-sama."

"Rukia." His emotionless, annoyed voice had her looking up at him.

"Y-Yes…?"

"I am fine." He approached her in light steps and extended his hand for her to take. Rukia looked at him and back at his outstretched hand as if deciding whether to accept his help or not. When she put her fingers tentatively on his palm, he held her firmly and brought her to her feet. She gasped and held onto his powerful arms at the quick movement. His eyes shot to her slightly opened lips and he felt his throat grow dry as her pink tongue slithered in the sides of her lips to wet them. "Let's eat out."

And without giving her any chance to either comply or complain, he forced her to follow him.

"What? No!" Her voice was firm as she placed her hand over his. He stopped all of sudden and shifted his attention to her. "No…" It came out more like a whisper now, "I want to be alone with you..." She bit her bottom lip, "just the two of us."

He looked at her in silence for a moment, considering her words. If they were to talk about what they really should, it would be better if they were alone; completely by themselves. Nodding, he let go of her hand and walked back to the fridge.

A long, loud sigh was heard.

"You may order whatever you want," he spoke getting both of them two cans of _Asahi Premium Beer Jukusen._ If they were in any other situation, he would regret — he almost did already — leaving it up to her to decide what they would eat. If he knew his wife well, she would choose ramen or something poorly such as that.

After a few minutes he heard her speaking on the mobile phone, "Ramen, that is." He was so damn right that if he was lesser man he would have rolled his eyes at her. Instead, he merely headed to the living room with her following him closely behind.

There was an awkward silence as they made themselves comfortable in the huge gray couch, with Rukia sitting in the other end of it. He opened the can and handed it to her, but still kept a safe distance between them. Then, he opened his own can and tasted the bitter beer.

It felt like a lifetime ago since they last shared the same space, drank the same beer and talked about their plans for the near future. She would place her legs over his and laugh at his very mordacious comments.

The memory burned in the back of his mind, making him blink twice to dispel de image. He simply hated how they were now — much to his fault, he knew — and how tragic fate was to them. Once or twice he wished he was in her place, that he was the one to forget everything and not her, but he quickly realized that her suffering would be heightened tenfold with his cold and uncaring demeanor. If he managed to hurt her badly when he was already deep in love with her, what would he do if he was not? If he woke up and found that he was married to a woman he could not remember?

Knowing himself, he knew he would give her a hell of a time and probably… _no, certainly…_ would refuse her very existence and their very ties.

He emptied the can and looked at her, decided to say what he had to say at once. The sooner he told her, the better.

"We need to talk." Both of them said at the same time.

Byakuya pursed his lips into a thin line as she approached him in the couch and sat right by his side. She bit her bottom lip and placed her can on the coffee table in front of them, her legs completely on the couch as she tried a more comfortable position.

"You may speak first," he conceded, finishing her can for her. She looked up at him with a confused frown. "You never finish it."

"Oh…" She bit her bottom Iip further. "Thank you. It's too bitter."

He nodded.

Her favorite type of beer was black beer with hints of chocolate in it. They used to have that in stock for her, but since her collapse he drank all of them, even if it was far from his favorite. He discovered that although he was not that strong to alcohol, whenever he was too stressed out, it could calm him down. More like knock him down.

"I want to move back," she said, looking straightly at him. Her voice did not waver or break, she did not stutter. On the contrary, it was firm and decided.

"Rukia."

"Don't tell me that's not possible. Don't tell me that you want a divorce, because I'm not giving you one."

He fell silent for a moment, considering his words carefully. It still surprised him that although she did not recall him, she wanted to fight for them so fiercely. If he were in her place he would never do such a thing. On the contrary, he would probably have himself divorced of her in the first week.

At his lack of response, she started biting her bottom lip all over again. He placed his thumb over it and stopped her. They remained in that position of them for a quite while.

"No…" he conceded, his tone huskier than he intended. "I will not file for a divorce. We talked about it yesterday." He tried to break apart, but she held his hand close to her face, a look of pure relief in her beautiful violet eyes.

"Thank you…" Her lids fluttered closed at his gentle caress. His thumb still remained on her lip. She felt her throat grow dry at his action and subconsciously licked it, brushing his tip in the process.

As she opened her eyes, she was faced with his grayish orbs. They were much darker than she remembered and she could tell he was, just like last night, restraining himself from kissing her. They were not even inches away, more like millimeters, his breath caressing her skin. She shuddered.

She opened her mouth to ask him, but he surprised her as he said in that deep, but not so much emotionless anymore, voice of his.

"I will not kiss you."

Rukia looked down timidly. How could he read her so easily? Was she that much transparent or he was too good at knowing her wishes? Was it even fair for a human being know another so well?

"What if I…"

"Do not waste your second wish with it," he said and broke apart unceremoniously. Her loud and tired sigh was not missed by him. He cast a hard glance at her out of the corner of his eyes.

"But you promised..."

"I am good at breaking promises."

Another sigh escaped her lips as she approached him again and touched him lightly on the cheeks as if afraid to get too close and have him retreating as if burned by her touch.

"You judge yourself so harshly..."

Her words came out whispered as she continued to stroke him lightly. He remained froze for a moment, but allowed her to continue touching him. When her fingers slithered to his neck and chest, he held her wrist, but she snapped his hand away and pulled the necklace out.

"When are you going to give this back to me?" And before he could say otherwise or protest, she completed, "It's my second wish. Once you broke the first, make sure you fulfill the second."

She expected a very warning _Rukia_ coming from his lips or another scold, but he remained in silence. It took him a few seconds to finally remove the necklace and hold it between his fingers. Her heart seemed on the verge of breaking her ribcages when he pulled her left hand to himself and stroked her ring finger leisurely.

Her eyes shot to his. The same dark grayish color was visible in them and although she still had some difficult to read him, she could not help but feel mesmerized by their color. Her breath stopped on her throat as he slowly slid it in her finger.

Then his hand was on her face, stroking her cheeks carefully and wiping away a tear she had no idea that escaped her. Once again, she felt like her heart was on the verge of escaping her mouth as he leaned into her, his hot breath caressing her skin.

Her eyes fluttered closed on their own accord. She could not help but wonder how it would feel to kiss him.

Would it be different from the memories? The vivid remembrances, both from her wedding day and of them making love — sex, she did not know for sure — although sad were strong proofs of how much they matched when it came to bed affairs.

It was enough proof to what she came to a conclusion back at the hospital: she enjoyed his touch, she loved the very feel of his powerful arms holding her in the throes of the passion.

But memories were not enough. She wanted to feel it. She wanted the reality, to be kissed by him. She wanted it so badly it almost hurt.

Perhaps if she did she recovered a memory or two?

He was so close to her, so close, so close, she groaned in total despair when the intercom ranged loudly. Her eyes shot open to the size of saucers. His fingers on her face did not let her move though.

She shuddered when he spoke, his deep voice caressing the sensible skin of her neck.

"When I kiss you, you will be begging for it."

The way he brushed his lips against the shell of her ear had her sinking her fingers in his shoulders, her lips completely sore as she tried to suppress a gasp of both delight and frustration.

And as simply as that, he broke apart and answered the intercom. Rukia took the opportunity to firm herself on her shaky legs and walk back to the fridge. Even if she did not like that beer that much, she needed it so much right now.

Dammit.

He was thoroughly good at it.

Too good for her own mental health.

* * *

Byakuya pursed his lips into a thin line as soon as he turned off the intercom. Unfortunately, it was not the food she ordered. On the contrary, a very unwanted visit was coming their way. If for his liking, he would not have allowed such _guest_ in his house, but he knew it was better if he faced that as soon as possible.

From his place, he could hear Rukia getting the utensils and probably washing them as well. Knowing her well, she would take a bit of time before calling him to join her in dining room, or even the kitchen.

It did not take the said guest more than three minutes to arrive at the his penthouse. He did not wait for the doorbell to be rang and opened the door himself; his face expressionless.

Before him stood the loser ex-boyfriend he more than hated, the one that stood between him and her for months in the beginning of their marriage and the very one who held her first when she woke up from the coma.

For a few seconds they just stared at each other, even though it seemed like centuries had passed between them. Byakuya did not loose his stance, staying between him and the door. His behavior had Renji letting out a very annoying _Che_ in that tone of his.

"Kuchiki Byakuya…" he said in a mocky tone as he surveyed the living room. "Nice house…" He walked around the space till he stopped right below the modern chandelier. "Daisuke Kitagawa…" he mused for a second, a smirk taking over his lips as he scratched his head. " _Che..._ I can see now why some girls are so hooked upon you."

"Abarai Renji…" Byakuya replied, his voice low and dangerous. He was no fool. He understood very well what the loser ex-boyfriend meant. Thankfully, he was not inclined to argue with a man of his level, for if he really did, he could beat Renji to a pulp. "Speak at once."

* * *

 **A/N – Well… What does Renji wants at Byakuya's house? xD**

 **I gotta say this chapter would be bigger, but Flavia suggested that I stopped here. So you know… You'd be left guessing what happened to between Renji and Byakuya. I am mean, I know it, hehe.**

 **Hope you don't hate me too much, but I'll be taking a break from fanfics. As I said in my update to The Duke's Lover,** **real life happens and I do have only three months to finish my final paper. Besides that, you know I became a full time secretary here at my job and we've been working like crazy since day 2.**

 **I'll do my best to update chapter 8 as soon as I fisnish my final paper, but only gods know when it will happen. You know xD … The worse you can get without update is till July. Let's see.**

 **And also as stated on TDL, I'll be taking a break from fanfics. While I just started Remember, I've been updating nonstop since April last year, so I'm tired and I need a break. You know, watch my TV shows, read some books and so on, things I cannot do if I'm writing.**

 **It doesn't mean I will be away from ffnet. So if you see me reviewing other fics or see that I've added new stories to my favorites, well… that's because it's a part of my break ^^**

 **I can't exactly remember now, I'm very much tired, but someone asked if I'm on wattpad. Well, I do have a wattpad account, but I don't post my stories there. You can find me there as velvetsins ^^ Not active there, though xD.**

 **And I'm thinking about posting on my tumblr images of things I use to describe my chapters such as clothing, handbag and so on, or as people call nowadays, aesthetics. If you follow me on my tumblr (also velvetsins) you shall see it there someday.**

 **To everyone of you who reviewed last chapter** (JoTerry; kiti4life; lightdesired; OPgirl; onlyluna; PAMILA DE CASTRO; RukiaTif; neige blanc-sec; loveyourstory; Guest; scarletblackdies; noblepride; inlovewithaduke; byakuyalover; Guest, Guest, Guest, Guest, Guest, Guest and Meenathequeen) **and add this story to the favorites/followers, my biggest thanks. I'm honoured you are giving Remember such a chance.**

 **To** loveyourstory, **hi, darling xD welcome to Remember. I was squealing like crazy when I saw it's the first time you review a story. Hope you keep reviewing Remember and I shall do my best to keep it a good reading that can evoke so many emotions. This chapter is my gift to you xD. Hope you have enjoyed it.**

 **I hope you all take your time to review this chapter as well. I loved writing it and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it for you. Now, it's your turn to tell me what you think of this chapter. Depending on your response, I may feel motivated to update sooner xD**

 **Take care and love you,**

 **Velvetsins**


	8. The Frog and the Princesses

**Hello, beloved readers xD**

 **I hope you are doing fine and I have no words to say how sorry I am for the late update. Well, I just can say it's here and I hope you enjoy it.**

 **This chapter is dedicated to everyone who have been waiting for an update for ages, but mainly for RukiaTif and Anon2222. Thank you for the encouraging words and so much love. I cannot begin to tell how much adored I felt with your support.**

 **In case you don't remember, English is not my first language so… And I just finished this chapter. I'm going to proofread it tomorrow.**

 **Disclaimer: Kubo owns Bleach, I own this plot. All brands and places here mentioned are real and I don't own them. All OCs are mine as well.**

 **Warning: OOCness.**

 **Happy reading!**

* * *

 _Remember_

 **Chapter 8 – The Frog and the Princesses**

* * *

 _To be back to Japan was — he was never a man gifted to words, that he left to Rukia, his best friend and also,_ he gulped, _ex-girlfriend —_ good _. A simple but effective word to describe what he felt. Or thought he felt. It was somewhat ridiculous to think that he could feel any differently just because he set foot in his homeland._

 _He was never gifted with foreign languages, although he managed quite well with both Chinese and English. At least no one ever said his skills were that horrible. Not that he needed someone to criticize him. Abarai Renji was never a man with self-esteem problems, but he was acutely aware of his weaknesses._

 _To be back to Japan was then_ refreshing. _A better and far more meaningful word than just_ good. _To be back and clothed in a tuxedo attending to a Charity Ball was not._

Suffocating _, he would say as he adjusted his black white tie. If there was something he quite could not grasp about the wealthy was the fact they orchestrated parties in which people had not only one kind of attire to wear, but should also follow the chosen colors. Anything remotely different from what was defined would surely be frowned upon._

 _To a someone such as himself, a man who followed no etiquette and was highly creative in his wardrobe — or so_ Ray Li _, a Chinese fashion magazine once stated —, it was pain in the ass. Truly._

 _By his side, SoiFong wore the worst face ever. He knew late pregnancy could be a terrible thing — at least he had heard of something like that — but he expected her to at least pretend to be happy. It turns out his wife was never good at faking anything and he was grateful for that. It made their already too much complicated by external factors easier. Or as easy as it could be to be married to Shanghai Princess._

 _More than that, it was terrible to watch people from afar, as SoiFong's father talked to people and pretended they did not exist. Renji was painfully aware he was not even close to be his father-in-law choice of perfect husband to his daughter, but he was what the old man got._

 _He was halfway his third brandy when he heard a known laugh echoing nearby. Not that far from where he and SoiFong were allocated, Rukia was covering her mouth as a gray-haired man whispered something in her ear._

 _Unable to stay in focused on what people around him was saying anymore — not they needed his attention, in fact, they would be glad if he would just disappear —, he turned to face the occupants of the table across from his._

 _There was Rukia, her husband — the playboy with a stick in the ass — and the owner of the Kuchiki Enterprises, Kuchiki Ginrei all happily — even if happy was a word that did not apply to the rich playboy in the least — chatting._

 _Annoyed with the conversation around him, Renji felt the need to get up and talk to her._ He needed to. _He was not sure she wanted to talk to him, but maybe now they both had their lives set straightly, they could talk like responsible adults they both were._

 _He was halfway making his mind when the lights around the Ohgi Room in the Keio Plaza Hotel became dim and a soft music began flowing in the space. A quick glance back at his wife and father-in-law and when he looked back at where the Kuchiki Family was supposed to be, he found the old gray-haired man sitting alone. A horrendous smile — because to see a Kuchiki smiling was something out of a horror movie — touching his features._

 _In the center of the Ballroom, Rukia slid in a slow dance in the arms of the playboy. She, too, smiled at him. Subconsciously, Renji tightened his jaw._

" _She is not wearing white!" SoiFong let out as she reached for her_ _glass of water._ _If not for having such commentary uttered by other people in nearby tables, he would have ignored her completely. What does it matter she was not wearing white?_

 _Were women supposed to wear only white in a damned Charity Ball? Then he recalled having read in the invitation it was a Black and White party, or whatever they called that. Men were supposed to wear black — tuxedos to be clear — and women should wear white. It was acceptable for couples to exchange colors — and people around him did that a lot, probably thinking they would stand out. Rukia was wearing neither._

 _Instead, she wore a silver gown that made she resemble a Princess out of Disney movies. Delicacy and elegance were imprinted in her — even if she took a liking to behave like a street boy._

 _Around him, people whispered how she always disregarded the etiquette in such events and even so managed to come up with the most beautiful of the looks. Kuchiki Rukia was, after all, Tokyo Princess._

 _To him, none of that mattered, for she would always be his friend — his best friend. But the more he stared at her and saw how perfectly — even if the word revolted him, it was still the best term — she fitted in that world of wealthies, the surer he grew that he should forget he ever saw her that night._

 _The music came to an end, still as soft as it began, and a blush tinted her cheeks as the playboy kissed her hand gentlemanly — in a way he would never be able to, even with years of practice. A Chinese old lady whispered none so quietly in SoiFong's ear how they were the perfect and happy portrait of an arranged marriage that worked out._

 _With his mood suddenly darker than his wife's, Renji left the Ballroom and walked to the outside space in search of fresh air._

 _If he were not aware of it before, that night — the same night he started_ _by_ _classifying as_ good _— made the differences between them painstakingly clear._

 _Kuchiki Rukia was the Princess and he, Abarai Renji, would always be the Frog._

 _ **#**_

Instead of giving a straightforward answer, the redheaded man lingered with his brown eyes on the couch where a Prada backpack was placed. He smirked… Thinking closely of it, he also saw a pair of black high heels back in the entrance.

"I will be brief since you have a companion…"

"Hn," was all he got as a reply.

"Does Rukia even know about this meeting of yours?" Renji stepped ahead, towards him, his hand closed in fists by his side. Once again, Byakuya's personal space was completed invaded. "How long have you been cheating on her?"

"Step away before I force you to."

Abarai Renji could be larger and taller than him, but he was not stronger. Byakuya was sure he could stop him effortlessly. One of his arms would be enough to show him he was no more than a nuisance. A monkey trying desperately to reach the moon looking at it through the mirrored reflection in a puddle.

"Very well…" Renji conceded. It was futile to argue with him. If Kuchiki Byakuya was really cheating on her, it would be better for him. Actually, he did not even know why he was bothered by the possibility in the first place. It was simply perfect! "I think you know why I came here. We made a deal."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed at his words. He recalled quite well their exchange a few years ago, both of them in the same place, in the same instances.

Yes, they made a deal. What Renji quite did not grasp was the fact that he by himself did not break the promise; external circumstances led them to where they were right now.

He even opened his mouth to reply, but at the same time he heard the light steps of Rukia coming back from the kitchen to join him in the hall. He shut his lips in a thin line and looked at her over his shoulders. Perhaps that should serve as a better answer than the one he had in mind.

"Byakuya-sa— Her voice was shy as she entered the hall. He did not have to look at the loser ex-boyfriend to know he had his brown eyes widened. "Renji."

"Rukia…" Renji spoke, his voice husky and... _shocked?_

"Renji…" She let out, as if not believing herself. What was he doing in her husband's house — her house, she corrected herself. That penthouse was much as hers as it was his. Instead of lingering her eyes on her ex-boyfriend, she looked back at her husband, her lips between her teeth as she asked, "what are you doing here?"

He really did not have any time to come up with a reply for as soon as she was done with her question the intercom rang again. This time, there was no doubt, their food had arrived. As Byakuya authorized the deliveryman and went inside the inner rooms to retrieve the money, Renji thought about what he could possibly answer.

 _I am here to demand that your husband let go of you?_

 _This marriage was a mistake. Letting go of you was a mistake?_

 _I am miserable in my marriage and I want to try again with you?_

Somehow, he doubted that any of those answers would have the desired effect. Perhaps Rukia would slap him for good and although it did not count was the sign of affection he was hoping for, it would at least show she still thought he was a frog worth the Princess' attention.

He shook his head. It would not do.

"Renji…" She asked quietly, her fingers entwined at her front. His eyes travelled from her tired face to them and the sight of the wedding band back to her ring finger made his brown eyes even more widened; to the point he looked like a comic character.

 _Che… Bastard Kuchiki._

So quickly he did not see it coming. From the way he refused to give her attention and treated her so coldly after she lost her memories — and therefore needed him the most —, he thought he was definitely letting go of her so they could start anew. And while he did expect some resistance from the bastard's part — he would never fulfill his promise from years ago, not when it would mean hurt his gigantic ego and ridiculous pride —, he could not guess he would find an opportunity to resume their relationship.

Nor that Rukia would agree with that.

Supposedly, she hated the _My pride, my ass_ and felt romantically inclined towards him — her ex-lover, ex-boyfriend — and hopefully future husband — as soon as they both got divorced, of course.

"Rukia… I-I…" He scratched his head, unable to come up with a good excuse. After all, there was no way he would look for the playboy willingly. "I-I am…" He took a sharp intake of breath. Should he tell the truth? "I…"

"He came to do business." Byakuya's voice broke the tense atmosphere around them with a sharp statement. He carried the plastic bags in one hand

Renji looked at him out of the corner of his eyes — and because how nervously the dumb seemed, Rukia stared at him too, her head slightly tilted to the side, as if deciding to whether believe his excuse or not — and battled himself in order to keep silent.

He could say how inhuman it was to say he was merely _doing business_ when it came to his wife, but he guessed the bastard _also_ considered Rukia business — as he did with everything and everyone else. And what a profitable business she was, considering how much he earned in the last years because of her charisma and ability to close important deals in the name of the Kuchiki Enterprises.

What did not fit in that puzzle was why Kuchiki Byakuya, his sworn enemy for Rukia's heart did not think about giving him out. It would surely turn tables around for him — if not permanently, it would at least give him a head position.

Still scratching his head, he smiled more than he thought possible.

"Che! Yeah… I came for… _business_."

"You do business now?" Rukia asked skeptically. "I was not aware of that…" she muttered more to herself.

 _I guess I am not aware of many things anymore._

"Yeah… Sort of. I am just…"

"Leaving," Byakuya completed for him, handing the plastic bag to Rukia, his fingers lingering on hers for a brief moment. It did not go unnoticed by Renji who narrowed his eyes.

 _Che. You bastard._

He could — if he just so wanted — invite himself over for lunch. He was quite sure Rukia would not oppose. On the contrary, she would most likely invite him over.

"Yeah… I am leaving." He turned on his heels, heading towards the door, with Byakuya right behind him. "I'll catch you up later, Kuchiki."

Without a proper goodbye from neither him nor Rukia, he closed the door soundly behind the more than annoying _loser ex-boyfriend._

As he turned to face Rukia, she wore the strangest of looks — as if still trying to understand what just happened in the hall —, and walked to back to the kitchen.

"Let's eat."

 **#**

The rest of the meal time was awkward to say the least. Both were in silence — but different from the time they ate in Inoue's house, it was not a companionable time —, lost in their own minds.

Rukia was painfully aware of his lie. Of their lies, for Renji was not off the hook. It was clear as it was still day outside that her friend did not come to his house — their house, she was having a hard time to come to terms that such an opulent penthouse was hers as well — to do business. If there was something Renji was never good at was negotiating. Nor lying and she could smell his lies a mile away. Yet, she could quite not place a finger on the reason why both lied though.

Before she could get paranoid — perhaps they became friends, even though the possibility made her want to laugh, for neither seemed happy to see the other —, she looked up at him and found his gray eyes intensely focused on her.

The smile vanished from her lips. She choked. And reached out for a glass of water. When she came back to the kitchen counter, he eyed her with curiosity.

"Are you fine?" he asked, pressing a napkin to her chin delicately. His fingers lingered on her skin for a bit more than necessary, which caused Rukia to blush a deep shade of pink.

"Y-Yes…" she answered.

He broke apart and she immediately felt the loss of it. The sensation of his touch on her skin was, even if disconcerting, heavenly.

"I was…" she started, a bit surprised as he handed her his glass. "I was wondering when I can move back in."

If Byakuya was a lesser man, he would be the one to cough this time. Instead, he pressed the napkin to his lips and looked at her through narrowed eyes. If there was something about her that never ceased to amaze him was her forwardness.

"I-I…" she stuttered. "I was just—

"Today," he cut her off, secretly pleased at the sight of her widened eyes, "if you wish so."

Unaware of what to say to his remark, she looked down back at her bowl and chewed her bottom lip. She knew he was still looking at her and knew how awkward it would get if she chose to stay in silence — for he would not start a conversation, she was painfully aware of that —, she started, "How was your day?"

He took his time to reply, busying himself with his food. Even if _ramen_ was not his favorite choice of food — for a man who had eaten in the best restaurants from all four sides of the world it is —, he could not say he hated it either. It was just a too peasant food for his liking.

"I have seen better days."

His mood grew sour at the mere thought of the Elders and their incessant and ridiculous demands. Not to mention the internal crisis in the Kuchiki Enterprises that was taking away his sleep.

"Yours?"

If not for having her mouth empty at the moment, she would have choked again, for she did not expect him to ask back — and neither to reply to her question, if she was to be honest with herself.

Wetting her lips, she offered the same answer as his.

"I have seen better days as well."

Byakuya would have smirked, if she did not look so miserable. If life had been not so good and easy on his the last few days, he could barely imagine what it has been for her. In less than two months her life turned upside down.

She sighed.

"I have been to a job interview…"

He eyed her waiting for her to continue, which did not happen. Usually, it would annoy him to keep instigating people in a talk — and if it happened in the beginning of their marriage, he would most likely leave her talking alone —, but he guessed it would not kill him to ask a simple question in order to keep the conversation going.

"How did it go?"

"I… I think I did good."

As they fell silent once again and Byakuya felt annoyed — angry even — with himself for his inability to engage her in a decent dialogue, he could not help but ask when she moved with their empty bows to the sink.

"I have a business proposition for you."

She looked at him over her shoulders, her brows furrowed. He emptied his glass as well and walked to her, leaning against the sink, arms crossed around his chest. He even thought about telling her to leave the dirty dishes, so the maid could clean them the next day, but he was sure she would fight him and do as she wanted.

"Business proposition?" she repeated as if not believing his words. "Which business proposition?"

The question and her suspicion towards him made him recall the very first time he made a business proposition to her and they ended unwantedly up married. He almost smirked.

"We have a new direction in the company…"

"Byakuya-sama…" she gasped softly, violet eyes widened and focused on him. "I couldn't possibly... I am not read—

"Not now," he cut her off. "In the future."

"I am not sure I am cut for this. I am just—

"That is for the CEO to decide."

"Right."

His answer was not to feel like a slap to her cheek, but it felt like that nonetheless. She bit her bottom lip and tried to look at the bright side. It meant that even if they did not love each other in their personal life — her recovered memories did not help the tiniest bit — at least he respected her as a professional. He seemed to trust her a lot, if he was willing to give the position of director to someone who could barely remember the year they were in.

"You have your deal," she whispered after a while, offering her now dried hand for him to shake.

Byakuya took the opportunity to bring her closer to him, his left hand stopping on the small of her back. His lips bestowing the briefest of the kisses on her knuckles. He expected her to gasp, but as soon as he lowered her hand and looked at her rather intensely, making her blush madly — such a lovely color tinting her face —, she stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his right cheek in the sweetest of the kisses.

If Kuchiki Byakuya was not such a master at controlling himself, he would have moved his face just a bit, so her lips would land on his. Instead, the smallest of the smirks curved the sides of his mouth.

He definitely had seen better days, but he could not say it was his worst either.

 **#**

"Your recovery has been astounding, Rukia-sama," Doctor Unohana began, analyzing the medical exams she asked last time they had an appointment.

Rukia chewed her bottom lip.

"Please, there is no need for such sumptuous honorifics, Doctor Unohana."

"Rukia-san, then." The older woman smiled warmly.

"That's better." She smiled back, a bit unsure about going further with her questions or not. She spent a huge part of the day in the Hospital, undergoing medical consultations and exams with the most varied specialists. In the end, she was sitting across Doctor Unohana, the head of the Administrative staff in the Hospital, and the one she thought she could confide the most.

So far, she recalled having been in the company of the Doctor Ishida Ryuuken — even though he was a specialist surgeon in another Hospital, he was invited by Doctor Unohana, curtsy of their long friendship to analyze Rukia's case —, a neurosurgeon, who would investigate her memory loss and Doctor Ran'Tao, head of the gynecology and obstetrics department — and from her came the most shocking news of the day: she removed her IUD and was, or were, giving the circumstances, currently trying to get pregnant, so no method of contraceptives, not even the condom was being used by her and her husband.

It was suddenly disconcerting to have another person knowing more about her sex life than she herself, but Rukia guessed that it was not avoidable. Suddenly, she was worried, for she could not remember the last time she had had her period and since she woke up in that fateful day in the Hospital, there was no signs of her moon cycle either.

Doctor Ran'Tao laughed and assured her with a recomforting smile that she had nothing to fear. The stress coupled with the fact she had just removed the IUD had her hormones working like crazy, so the absence of her period was to be expected.

The news had her both relieved and a bit… _sad?_ Deep inside, she knew it was a very ridiculous thought, for no children could mend any broken heart nor fix a situation caused by two troublesome adults — or memory loss, if she was to be honest.

The doctor continued suggesting that in the impossibility of reinserting the IUD and using the pill — as they both had agreed before —, she should stick up to condoms in future intercourse. Needless to mention that her openness in talking about her sex life had Rukia blushing deeply.

And finally, with she was reunited with Doctor Unohana, the cardiologist who had been accompanying her for the last three years.

"My…" She bit her bottom lip, gathering the courage within herself to speak, "memories… is there a way to recover them?"

Retsu smiled a bit, as if trying to recomfort the young woman in front of her. That was the exact reason why she called her friend Ishida Ryuken — her inability to predict when and if her memories were coming back was affecting her greatly. The neurosurgeon, however, still had to investigate the topic further.

"I will repeat what I told you before, Rukia-san: you can always make new memories with your husband."

"It's just…" And the words died in her throat. It was just so difficult to think that outsiders knew more about her life — and every aspect of it — better than herself. It bordered on unfair how ridiculous it all was. "Just so…"

"I know…" She gave her the sweetest smile she could come up with. "Now, let's discuss the medicines you shall be taking from now on and the precautions we must take."

 **#**

Her mood was considerably dark as she left Doctor Unohana's office and entered the elevator. The journey to the second basement was unbelievably silent — as it should be, considering the took the VIP lift.

And to think one day she would be rich enough — or married to a man so wealthy — to be riding VIP lifts. If someone told her this a few years ago, she would have laughed out loud and sent the person to a psychiatrist as soon as possible.

Lost in thoughts, she did not see the elevator doors opening and a small girl with a strikingly red hair jogging inside, a devious smile covering her childish features.

"Hello, young lady…" Rukia greeted, kneeling to be at the little girl height. "Are you alone?"

"Ichika!"

Two raised and mixed voices reached them, causing both to look ahead and up. The doors were closing — having the little devious pressed all buttons she could reach before Rukia could hold her hand —, but a big and masculine hand prevented it from happening.

"Che! What did I say about running away, my little devil?"

"Dad!"

"Renji!"

"Rukia."

"Renji!"

Rukia closed her eyes at the commotion in the lift. She rose to her feet and if the situation was any different, she would have at least giggled at the redhead girl hiding behind her legs. Side by side, Renji and whom she assumed to be his wife, SoiFong stared back at her with a surprised look on their faces.

"Che!" He scratched his head with a foolish grin plastered on his face. "Hello, Rukia."

Not sounding all too pleased to see her, SoiFong also greeted her, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Unsure about shaking hands with the couple, Rukia kept hers firmly around her _2way tote bag_ from _Head Porter_ _Natal_ collection, nodding only her head instead.

"The pleasure is all mine," she said nervously, walking towards the doors, "I am so sorry, but I am afraid I must leave now."

And indeed she did have to leave. Byakuya was waiting for her in his office for their second day of whatever she could call what she was undergoing with him to know the Kuchiki Enterprises.

"It was a pleasure meeting you too, little Ichika."

Before the doors could close with the three of them inside, she could catch a glimpse of the girl waving her still chubby childish hands.

 **#**

 _It was pleasant Spring afternoon in Tokyo. Even if Renji was far more used to this time of the year in Shanghai by now, it was good to see the entire city in full bloom. And by it, he meant not only the cherry blossoms, but also the mood. Every day was a new day to a street carnival, it seemed. Or so he thought given the fact he saw Tokyo now as a foreign city._

 _They were in good terms now. It is, SoiFong and he. Things were not always flowery and perfect, but they were in good terms. To be back to Japan and to his favorite restaurant was suddenly a good opportunity to get his wife acquainted with places he liked._

 _Renji just did not expect to have SoiFong cancelling upon him — for her less than lovable father wanted her in a meeting — neither to find Rukia sitting with her playboy husband in one of what used to be his favorite restaurants across the_ Nogizaka _Station. He thought about leaving — too much annoyed to even bear the sight of them happily eating together for more than five seconds —, but decided against it and sat in a darkened table where they would not be able to spot him._

 _From his place he could watch and hear, if people would just shut up or talk in a moderate tone, how happy they seemed with each other. He had been in the_ Nogizaka Uoshin Restaurant _just once with Rukia and he thought she would have an everlasting bad opinion about it, for they fought rather seriously in the time he took her there. Instead, she seemed quite at ease with her playboy husband._

 _It seemed unusual that a man with a stick in the ass — a wealthy man who was probably only used to Michelin star restaurant — would accept to have supper in a rather commonly place._

 _He was cut short in his thoughts when a waiter came to fetch his order. He did not even look at the menu and took up on his offer to the dish of the day. As the waiter left, he was left to observe the playboy — he refused to call him by his name, it would create an intimacy that did not exist in the first place — giving Rukia his bowl of_ sunomono _._

 _If it had his jaw set a bit more harshly, he could not even begin to describe what he felt when he saw Rukia placing a_ sashimi _in his mouth. Even if he look uncomfortable with her gesture, he did not seem to complain._

What a lovely dovey couple.

 _The weather outside was rather good for a Spring late afternoon, almost reaching 17.5 degrees, and the sun was still shining in the sky, quite the contrary to his mood, cold and dark. He was pretty sure that if SoiFong was by his side he would not feel so miserable, but he could not help but detest their loving intimacy all in the open._

 _He could not hear what the playboy said, but it seemed to amuse Rukia, for she laughed out loud and tried to cover her mouth with both hands, in order not to attract more attention to them. The Kuchiki bastard on the other hand did not look affected and merely shrugged as he brought the sake to his lips._

And the bastard has the courage to drink so much when he is driving back home.

 _Renji rolled his eyes. He never thought Rukia to be a fool. If he ever drove home with the smallest of the drops of alcohol in his organism there would be hell on Earth. He could not possibly begin to understand how she could find it normal for him to do it._

 _Their next interaction had him even more annoyed at her — how could it be possible for a person to change so much in so little time — if not disgusted. She probably had spilled sauce in her mouth — he could not see from his angle —, for the Richie Rich took the napkin and pressed it against her lips in a nauseating fashion._

 _As she turned her face slightly aside, he could see how much she was blushing at his gesture. And really, this time Renji could not recognize the woman he befriended when they were just brats and later fell in love with. Ukitake Rukia would never blush so easily. Not with him or any other guy they knew at least. Not even with Ichigo, the man he knew she had a crush on before they started dating._

 _With fingers still on her cheeks, the son of a bitch forced her to look back at him, even if his eyes briefly shifted to meet his._

 _Renji narrowed his brown eyes and refused to look away as both left the restaurant holding hands and entered the first cab to cross the street._

 _ **#**_

Byakuya pressed the button for ending the call conference he had been in for the past two hours and closed his eyes.

He was dead tired and it was not lunch time yet. With a sigh, he was about to head to his restroom when there was a knock in his door. A characteristic knock. Aware it was Rukia who had arrived, he merely muttered an _Enter_ as he headed to the restroom all the same.

When he came back to his office, she was sitting in the couch and was arranging the food she had bought in the center table for them to eat. She had a puzzled look on her face and looked as tired as he was.

Unaware of how to act or to do — should he kiss her or say something —, he kept silent and sat at the armchair. His fingers immediately went to his tie, loosening it. She smiled at him and offered a bowl to him when they heard a knock on the door.

Byakuya narrowed his eyes, as far as he remembered, he told Nanao to clear his schedule for the day and not let anyone interrupt his time with Rukia. The secretary was more than happy to oblige.

Through the gap on the door, the old face of his grandfather along with his gray hair stood out.

" _Ojii-sama_!"

He would never get why she always looked so happy at seeing his old man. He himself merely nodded, acknowledging his presence. Ginrei entered the office and stood before Rukia, placing a brief kiss on her forehead.

"I hope you are faring well, child."

"I am," she replied enthusiastically.

Well, considering how chaotic her life had been since she woke up with all her memories lost, Rukia could not say the last few days were bad. In fact, they were so good she was starting to believe it was only a dream and as soon as she woke up her husband would hate her and life would be back to cry at his very cold demeanor.

"Would you like to join us for lunch, _ojii-sama_?"

"I was not aware Byakuya needed to eat."

"Jii-sama." His tone was a bit harsh, even so he seemed more relaxed than usual in his grandfather's company. Or rather: in his wife's company. It did not go unnoticed by him how she tried to muffle her laugh.

Ginrei sat in the seat opposite to Rukia and watched both of them carefully. Rukia was busy dividing the food in three bows and his grandchild had his eyes closed, his head resting against the armchair.

He knew the current crisis was the biggest he witnessed while heading the company. It was one thing to hear about difficult times while you are just a university student, it was whole story altogether to be the CEO while such a serious matter affected everyone in the enterprise.

However, Ginrei was confident he would manage it quite fine and in the end the company would come out of the whole ordeal stronger than ever. It did not seem he would lose the opportunity to call Rukia's attention for such matter.

"You do not look so well, Byakuya."

At such commentary, Rukia shifted her attention back to her husband and then looked at her grandfather-in-law. In fact, Byakuya looked more tired than usual and to be honest, a bit dispirited too.

"Byakuya-sama?"

"Hush, child… You should not add the honorific after his name. It will only boost his already huge ego."

If she did not know him well — at least his external appearance —, she would have said he would roll his eyes. Instead, he sat straight in his armchair, grabbed his chopsticks and bowl and busied himself with his food.

As the two of them did not seem to buy his excuse, he set the bowl down and said, "I am fine."

"Why don't you tell her about the crisis, Byakuya?"

" _Ojii-sama_."

"Byakuya."

As both seemed locked in their staring contest, Rukia was the one to roll her eyes and clear her throat.

"We can talk about lunch." And as neither seemed prone to give up first, she had to improvise in a way she was sure her husband would not like. "Byakuya-sama is taking me to a tour later, would you like to accompany us, _ojii-sama_?"

Ginrei looked away at her and as their eyes met, his face grew softer and a small smile curved the sides of his mouth.

"I would not dare to steal you away from that excuse of husband you have, my child."

Even knowing she should not laugh, Rukia could not control the smile breaking past her lips and quickly busied herself with her bowl.

Thankfully, the rest of the lunch time passed by in companionable silence.

 _ **#**_

 _He did not know what he had in mind when he signaled for the next cab to follow the one ahead. Although he had a fair idea where they lived — most riches lived there after all —, he had no idea where their mansion or edifice was located._

 _It took not that much for all of them to stop in Minami-Azabu. A magnificent and quite fitting building stood proudly, casting a shadow over him as he watched as both left the cab and entered the edifice holding hands._

 _Renji was not really sure if the playboy knew they were being followed, but if he did, he gave no indication. It is, till he walked to the pedestrian entry and the elegant gate was opened to him. As he reached the second and smaller gate, the concierge approached him and bowed dutifully before him._

" _Abarai-sama." He waited till Renji acknowledged him and stopped staring so stupidly at the surroundings before continuing, "Kuchiki-sama allowed me to give you the password to the lift to his penthouse in two hours." He smiled briefly as the man continued to stare at him in the same stupid way. "For now, would you kindly accompany me to the bistro?"_

 _As he followed the concierge to an elegantly decorated space with soft music flowing and a few people chatting animatedly. He took him to a table and gestured for a barman to approach._

" _Abarai-sama, this is Kutsuzawa Giriko and he will be serving you tonight."_

 _As the man eyed him curiously, the concierge rushed to explain in a whisper that Renji could hear perfectly well. As he was about to get up and leave, for the situation was getting more and more ridiculous than he thought possible, he heard,_

" _Kutsuzawa-san, serve him with the best. Kuchiki-sama will be responsible for all he consumed."_

Che! _The bastard still thought of him as the poor fellow of before. If only he knew… Yet, he probably knew, and even so continued to treat him in the same way._

 _If he thought about leaving before, now he was sure he would stay till those two hours came to an end to face the playboy and throw his money back at him. Even better: while he waited, he would consume only the most expensive the bistro had to offer. He was dying to see how much Kuchiki Byakuya was willing to pay._

 _For the next two hours and half — there was half hour added in it —, Renji waited in silence, drinking one of the best — he had to give the playboy that — whiskies he had tasted in life. When he concierge returned with the password for the VVIP lift, he was a bit tipsier than he thought at first._

 _In silence, he rode up the floors in silence and when he reached the penthouse, the playboy was already waiting for him. Renji felt his face heat all over as he found the man wearing only a flannel trousers; a glass of the same whiskey he had drunk in his left hand._

" _You have two minutes."_

 _If not for the possibility of getting caught by Rukia, Renji would have lost his mind and hit his snub jaw with all his might. He was disgusted to say the least. The bastard had calculated the entire situation very thoroughly. From the second he spotted him in the restaurant, Kuchiki Byakuya knew what he should do not only to shame Renji, but also to show his male dominance._

 _Two hours was none other than the time he would use to fuck Rukia and take a probably too quick shower to appear in front of him with both his chest and back scratched — something he also wore with pride in his interactions with his own wife. And before with Rukia too._

 _His aloof mask did nothing to appease Renji's wrath. He did not think possible to hate a man so fervently as he hated Kuchiki Byakuya._

" _One minute." His deep voice brought him from his darkening thoughts._

" _Let this serve as a warning for you," he started, finger raised and almost touching the Rich Richie's nose, "if I ever see Rukia unhappy by your side, don't think I will hesitate to win her back, bastard."_

Hn _was the only response and there was not enough time for any other, for soon Rukia's tired voice was heard approaching the hall._

" _Byakuya?"_

" _Are you done?" he asked back, closing the door soundly on his nose._

 _Willing or not — this time he could not know for sure —, the door was not completely closed and through a slight gap he could see their interaction before his very eyes._

 _Rukia approached him wearing only lingerie and what he assumed to be one of his dress shirt over it. The biggest of the smiles he had ever seen was plastered across her face as she took his glass and poured more whisky to herself._

" _Who were you talking to?"_

" _Just the concierge," he replied as he approached her and pulled her to his arms. With a squeak, she wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed his nose affectionately._

" _And what did he want?" she asked innocently, drinking the whiskey in one big gulp. "Is everything alright?"_

 _There was a moment of silence. From his place, Renji could barely see their interaction and he was afraid that if he opened the door, both would see him in one of the shittiest moments of his life._

What a miserable life! _To be watching her ex with her husband was probably his lowest moments in life._

 _Still, he could see as she sniffed his neck and giggled as he did the same with her._

" _You showered!" Her voice sounded a bit discouraged at such finding. However, soon a smile took over her lips as "Although I suppose you would not mind keeping me company while I take a bath…"_

 _He could not see, but could guess that her face was completely flushed as she whispered the next words._

" _Perhaps assisting me…"_

 _Her bold statement was not met with an equal answer. Instead, there was a question he had to strain his ears to understand._

" _Are you happy with me?" the bastard asked in a muffled tone as he nuzzled her neck._

 _She giggled and pulled him a bit forcefully by the hair. The most shocking words Renji would ever hear in his life left her as her lips fell over the bastard's in a passionate kiss._

" _Do I look unhappy to you?"_

 _ **#**_

Unfortunately, he could not keep his promise and take her a tour as soon as they finished lunch. There was a call he could not decline as it consisted of a very important deal with a French Enterprise he was trying to close.

As he talked smoothly in French and Rukia could not help but feel jealous of his perfect pronunciation — she was proficient in both English and Korean, and knew a bit of Spanish, but she could not say the same of French. She walked around his office and was startled when her mobile phone rang.

At first, she was unsure about answering, afraid of both disturbing or distracting him, but did nonetheless. In a low voice, she said _hello_ and left the Office, joining Nanao in her own space.

A squeal of delight left her lips as she took in the big news. Finally! Things were starting to work out in her life. She was so happy to have been approved in the first phase of the selection process for teacher in the school she visited a few days earlier.

Nanao was quite happy when she told her the news. A sincere smile gracing her lips as she defined Byakuya's schedule for the next days. Rukia sat by her side and after a few seconds in comfortable silence, she could not help but ask.

"What is this crisis Ginrei-sama mentioned?"

The secretary seemed to freeze for a moment, but soon she relaxed and looked at Rukia out of the corner of her eyes and said in a low voice — more like whispered.

"There has been a huge leak of money… And Shachō demanded an internal audition."

"Wow."

"Yes… Wow," Nanao let out. "The directors have been giving him a hard time lately."

"I was not aware I asked of you to tell her about the auditioning, Ise-san."

"Shachō!"

Nanao stood up and lowered her head for a moment. It goes without saying that she was surprised to see Rukia standing in front of her, her head held high. It was not the first time the petite teacher stood up for her, but she surely did not expect her to do it while her memories of her — of everyone — were lost and they were barely acquainted.

"Do not be so harsh on her, Byakuya-sama." Her violet eyes were focused on his gray ones. "Besides, if she did not tell me, I doubt you would."

He narrowed his eyes at her, but voiced nothing. Nanao realized it was his way of agreeing with her, even if no words would leave his mouth. Turning on his heels, he headed to the elevator.

"Let's go."

Rukia rushed to his side, mouthing a _thank you_ to Nanao. The secretary did the same and bowed dutifully for her as the President disappeared inside the elevator. Now, side by side, he lost no time to berate her. She opened her mouth first and started apologizing.

"Forgive her, Kuchiki-sama."

He pursed his lips as she reverted to calling him by his family name. He simply hated when she did that.

"She did not do it on purpose. I asked her to tell m—

"Enough." His voice was not as harsh as he intended. However, it held her attention. As she continued to look down, he used a finger to lift her chin, and caressed her bottom lip, preventing her from biting it. "Do not try to defend her anymore."

With a barely noticeable smile, she said, "Understood, Shachō."

 **#**

Their tour lasted more than three hours. It is, counting the time they spent talking to managers and staff alike — more like introducing Rukia to every corner in the Kuchiki Enterprises.

"And my masters, you say…" She had a finger placed in the corner of her lips while she used the other to scroll though her e-mails and folders in her smartphone, "is about the educational games we develop here and I use in class with my students?"

He nodded and entered one of the meeting rooms with her. It was empty and their voices echoed in the big space.

For a moment, she just stared as he gesticulated for her to approach. He opened a glassy door and showed her a beautiful garden. From there, she could see the entire skyline of Tokyo and the busy streets. It was sunset and the mixed colors in the firmament made up a gorgeous painting.

"Such a beautiful place…"

 _Hn_ was his only reply as he looked at the horizon as well.

"Do you develop games as well?"

The way he looked at her — as if she had grown thirty heads at the same time — had her almost regretting her question.

"Of course."

There was silence again between them, but it did not last long this time.

"Here takes place the most important meetings and conferences."

She turned to look at him, violet big eyes full of curiosity. He removed a strand of hair from her face and looked ahead again.

"You presided some of them," he commented more to himself than to her.

"Did I?" She sounded a bit incredulous. "And did I do it well?"

He nodded, resting his back against the railing. She looked up at him, her bottom lip trapped between her pearly teeth as he crossed his arms on his chest and looked at his _Cartier Rotonde_. They still had a few minutes left before the next meeting began.

Gray eyes focused on hers, he said in a tone that captured her attention rather quickly, "You were responsible for sealing the best deals for the Kuchiki Enterprises."

Her already big violet eyes became even widened at his words. Her face completely flushed at his declaration. For the first time, she felt she was important to him and that he was proud of her. She was not someone he was eager to get rid of. And even if he was not head over heels in love with her, that had to mean something right?

Comfortable silence settled between them as she inhaled the fresh air and braced herself as a stronger gust of wind shook her slightly. The sensation did not last though, for his blazer was placed upon her arms. She held onto the lapels of his perfectly tailored suit and blushed when he did not break apart. His hands were stationed on her shoulders and he brought her closer and closer.

"I want you to accompany me in my next meeting."

"What for?" she could not help but ask. Whisper back. He was so close she could almost feel his fresh breath against her face. If she thought she blushed before, now she could only think her cheeks were in flames.

She could barely think of her poor heart. If it was on the verge of escaping her chest when he invaded her personal space, now that he had his finger caressing her bottom lip, it was totally out of her body. Before she could think, her eyes closed automatically as she expected him to bloody kiss her at once.

And he was so close to it, his breath caressing her face even closer now, their noses touching and their hearts beating in the same cadence… Rukia melted in his arms, if not for having his hands now securely around her waist and back, she would have collapsed.

His lips then descended upon hers in the sweetest touch. A small and brief brush. She breathed hard through her nose and even before he could ask for permission, she opened her mouth for him to taste. Only that when he was about to kiss her for real, there was a clearing of throat that broke the entire spell.

She pressed her lids together forcefully. His back stiffened. He broke apart.

"Shichirō."

"Shachō…" The old man bowed his head. A smile that had Rukia entire being chilling. "Rukia-sama. I apologize for any intrusion."

She did not know the man, but it was not needed to realize he did not mean what he just said. Byakuya stared at him through his narrowed eyes and his fingers around her waist tightened ever slightly.

It did not take a genius to know the man was dangerous. Nor to be treated lightly. In a gesture that surprised both men, she slithered her hand between his, entwining their fingers together.

"I thought the auditorium was empty. I apologize for any inconvenience, Shachō." He bowed dutifully, bending forward in a 70°.

"We are leaving," he announced, holding Rukia's hand firmly between his. As they neared the glassy doors, his voice sounded rather amused.

"Welcome back to the family, Rukia-sama."

 _Welcome to the family, Rukia-sama. I hope your stay in the Main House is comfortable and worry not about the Elders' antics. They are just old fools starving for new flesh in politic games._

At his words, Byakuya's hold over her hand became so strong it made her hiss. It was only then that he let go of her hand and turned to face her.

"Are you fine?"

She nodded. Not really sure. The piece of memory she just recovered sent the most horrible chills up her spine.

… _Welcome to the family, Rukia-sama…_

… _They are just old fools starving for new flesh in politic games…_

The way his laugh echoed in the back of her mind did nothing to make her feel at ease.

"We should leave," he stated, his voice dry and utterly displeased.

She looked up, trying to discern whether he was displeased with her or not. It did not seem so, even though his voice were harsh, his eyes were not. At least, not when focused on her. It made her breath with a little more ease.

"You still have so much to do. We should not—

"We are leaving." He was firm this time. Taking her hand in his, he proceeded walking back to his office, to retrieve a few things and drive her back home. His or hers, it did not matter at the moment.

He stopped in front of the VVIP lift, waiting for the doors to open. When it happened, he was greeted with the unwanted image of both his secretary and his grandfather; a serious look on their faces.

"You better read this."

In his hands, there was pages of online newspapers printed, including the prestigious _Asahi Shimbum,_ in which his and Rukia's face appeared in a rather sensationalist manner. It read.

 **BREAKING! Kuchiki Enterprises invested millions in offshore.**

On the subtitle, there was more information. It read.

 **Huge data leak reveals how the CEO and his wife invested millions in funds based in Bermuda and Cayman Islands.**

* * *

 **A/N – And that's all for today, kids xD**

 **I know it ended rather abruptly and that this chapter was maybe not what most of you expected after all this months, but the plot most move on. So… Think of this chapter as a transition chapter. It's not the best, but it's necessary for the development of both our characters and their story xD**

 **Well, if you have been following me in other fics (InuYasha fics, or read the last TDL chapter), you probably know 2017 was a chaotic year to me. You know a year is not that good when you finish college with an indication for the best papers of the semester and is accepted in a Master's course and still feel like this has been one of the worst years of your life.**

 **So, I'm sorry if I've been scarce with updates this year, it's not that I didn't want to update Remember, it's just that I didn't know what to do with the plot. Yesterday, however, after talking with a friend and thinking hard, I could come up with ideas.**

 **If you think the headlines at the end sound a bit similar to something you may have seen, it's because you probably have. I took it from The Independent news about the Paradise Papers on the Queen and other super-rich. Sorry xD after writing for eight hours nonstop I didn't have any more ideas for headlines hehe**

 **For this chapter, I tried to go a bit different. I thought about** Anon2222's words and I decided that I should add other people's views of their relationship as well. I hope it is to your liking, dear xD To be honest, I felt like… OMG, I'm not all that good as she/he is saying, but I'll try. Hope it's not disappointing.

 **To everyone who reviewed last chapter, added this story to the favorites and followers, my biggest thank you. You guys** (JoTerry, noblepride, kiti4life, Guest, OPgirl, Guest, inlovewithaduke, Guest, Shinybaby, Oreo Bane, Redddder, Guest and Anon2222) **are surely amazing!**

 **And as for this chapter, would you mind reviewing it for me?**

 **Take care,**

 **Velvetsins**


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